


Elemental Betrayer

by Lori94



Series: Heirs of Magic [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Bashing, M/M, Mild Language, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 83,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24895093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lori94/pseuds/Lori94
Summary: Harry's been kept in the dark for so long, about so many things. After the third task of the Tri-wizard tournament quite a few secrets come to light and darkness seems like home to him. He makes new friends while trying to keep the old and learns magic he'd never knew existed.
Relationships: Arthur Weasley & Molly Weasley, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Heirs of Magic [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801384
Comments: 74
Kudos: 198





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My inspiration for this story comes from a Facebook friend. DM - your ideas were a great jumping off point. I only tweaked them and I hope I do them justice throughout the series. Thanks. 
> 
> My beta for this work is once again, the amazing SB. I am so glad you joined my team on this. Thanks!
> 
> PS - I'll try to keep the bashing mild.

*************************

Our story begins just as Harry and Cedric  
took hold of the Tri-Wizard Tournament cup.

*************************

Chapter 1

Harry's mind was a jumble of questions as he and Cedric tumbled through time and space. He had felt the tug at his navel and knew they'd been taken somewhere via port key. Was this part of the tournament? Was it planned? If it was then he'd be with his friends soon. If not ... that's when he hit the ground and rolled.

As soon as he opened his eyes he knew that this was not what was expected to happen. From where he'd landed on his belly he could see creepy looking gravestones. He stood up carefully and looked around in more detail. When Cedric asked if he was ok, Harry said yes but he wasn't really sure that was the right answer. 

Then Cedric began to wander wanting to know where they'd landed which led to Harry stepping up to a nearby statue because it looked familiar. "I think I've been here before in a dream..." He trailed off as a strange figure emerged from a nearby crypt. "Get to the cup, Cedric!"

Cedric appeared to brace himself as he aimed his wand at the figure. "Who are you? What do you want?" 

"Stun the spare." A creepy voice commanded. 

A red burst of light hit Cedric in his chest and he went down like a rock. Harry started to groan as he tried to pull his classmate behind a gravestone but it turned into a wince as a sharp rock scraped his arm and he barely had time to catch the Hufflepuff's head before the urge to press his hand against his scar hit Harry hard. He put his back flush against the stone behind him and tried to catch his breath when he heard it. 

"Harry Potter." The creepy voice called to him. "Your friend is unharmed and I have no current plans to harm you. I have arranged this private meeting for a very important reason, Harry. Do come out."

Harry's eyes closed for a moment as he drew from an unknown well of determination and took a step out from behind the stone to face Wormtail and Voldemort with his wand in hand. 

"Do you think I care about your reasons, Tom?" Harry glared at the older man who didn't resemble his younger self in the slightest. What he did resemble was a strange combination of snake and man.

Voldemort sneered silently at the sound of his birth name. 

Harry internally awarded himself a point and went for a second one. "Oh, I'm sorry. Should I have used your self appointed title? Very well, Lord Moldyshorts."

Voldemort gritted his teeth as he watched Harry perform a mocking bow. "Now, Harry, it's hardly good manners for you to insult someone who only wishes to warn you of the danger you're in."

Was he joking? Harry wondered to himself. "Are you mad? You're the danger to me!"

"I'm not, actually." Voldemort's lips twisted into a sort of smirk. "Harry, I am going to tell you a few things and then I will send you and young Mr. Diggory back to Hogwarts. If you are as smart as you think you are, you'll consider my words and find a way to contact me. Now, listen carefully. There's only so much time before you'll be missed."

Reluctantly, Harry nodded lowering his wand to point at the floor. "I suppose it won't hurt to listen."

"How is Dumbledore these days? Mmm?" Voldemort asked. "Is he the same as ever? Colorful? Jolly?"

Harry never thought about Dumbledore in those terms. "I suppose... though not very jolly this year. He seems fairly troubled, actually."

"Dumbledore is very secretive lately...is he not? From what I've heard he wasn't always like that." Voldemort spoke softly, nodding. "Not that he was an open book, mind you, but he became incredibly guarded during the whole Grindlewald affair."

Harry rolled the words over in his mind. He'd heard from many people that Dumbledore had been a very amiable person in his youth. He'd been friendly and outgoing - charming and sociable but he was still all of those things so what exactly was this nutter saying? 

"Contrary to the usual way of things, he has reportedly become more and more secretive over the years." If Voldemort had eyebrows one would've been raised in a questioning manner. "I heard several interesting rumors circulating about him soon after Grindlewald was taken to Nurmengard. I won't say what they were because you'd instantly disbelieve me. I am simply suggesting that you look into it. For your own peace of mind."

"Why should I take this 'warning' seriously?" Harry wondered, his eyes narrowed glittering with suspicion. "Why shouldn't I go back and tell Dumbledore what you've said? You killed my parents. Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Your parents didn't believe me when I tried to convince them that Dumbledore was the real danger. Then the prophecy came up and I was convinced it was not only about us but that you would kill me." Voldemort looked sad. "I decided to try once more to get your parents on my side. I figured that if they were my followers you would never be put in a position to have to kill me...but they refused to see reason and raised their wands against me. I am truly sorry that they are dead." Voldemort paused, pursing his lips for a moment. "As for believing my words - well, I'm told you're the type to poke your nose where others think it doesn't belong. Follow the clues, Harry. Disbelieve me for now, if you must, but I do hope that you look into the matter. Wormtail, the cup, if you please."

"Wingardium leviosa." Peter Petigrew's voice cast the spell and sent the cup to float just out of Harry's reach.

"Tell them I'm back if you wish. Tell them I did that to your arm... Tell them I'm crazy and gathering my followers." Voldemort smirked at the fourteen year old. "Most of them won't believe it but Dumbledore may give you an interesting reaction so that alone may be worth it to cause mass panic."

Harry grabbed hold of Cedric and caught the cup as it fell, once again tugging them through time and space only to fall into the staging area of the last tournament task. The fanfare was deafening until people began to notice that Cedric wasn't moving. Then the screams began. 

"He's alright! Its ok!" Harry stood up and motioned to Dumbledore who came over quickly. 

"What's happened, my boy?" He asked intently.

"He's back." Harry said loudly. "Voldemort's back! He stunned Cedric and we sparred a bit before I could get back to the cup which brought us back here."

Dumbledore cast Enervate on Cedric and the older boy welcomed his father's help to rise to his feet.

Harry was taken aside as Minister Fudge came forward and asked Cedric about the tournament to find out who won. As he was led out of the arena Harry passed by a small group of third year girls. Among them were Ginny and several girls he'd only known as her friends. Most of them seemed to be ditzy giggly children but one blonde stood out from the crowd. 

She stepped up close to him and though Dumbledore tried to dislodge her from him, Harry heard her whisper. "Dragons are powerful allies and wise teachers. It's time to heal old wounds, misunderstandings, and fear, for the dragons are coming once again to teach the children of Earth. Open your heart to the wisdom and love of the dragons."

Just as suddenly as she came, she was gone.

Harry pulled away from Dumbledore's grip and looked around but there was no trace of the blonde third year. He shook his head to clear it and started to follow the headmaster again but then Ron and Hermione were beside him wanting to know what was going on. He told the same story again only slower and with more confusion as to why Voldemort might've taken him from the tournament just to spar with him.

He took note of the worry in Dumbledore's eyes as he spoke and knew there was a kernel of truth in his enemy's words. After hearing the story a third time, Dumbledore excused himself to retrieve something from his office and soon returned with two familiar faces. 

Remus and Padfoot hurried in to greet the newly returned Gryffindor champion. They and the others were treated to a fourth recitation of the events that took place in the graveyard with Voldemort before Madam Pomphrey came to break things up for the night. After a short discussion, Remus and Padfoot were allowed to stay as long as Harry got some sleep. 

Ron and Hermione went reluctantly to their dorms while Harry settled into his infirmary bed. It didn't take long before his exhaustion overtook him and he dropped off to sleep.

/*/*/*/*/*

Draco Malfoy paced the floor outside the doors to the hospital wing. Could he really do this? Could he convince Potter not to report on his father? Would that be betraying his family or saving it? He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. 

Inside were several rows of beds - one of which was obscured by curtains. Madam Pomphrey was likely to be sleeping at this hour which was why he'd waited so long to come see the tournament winner. He didn't want to be overheard. 

Draco took a few more steps toward Potter's bed only to hear strange whispers. Suddenly, he was confronted with a familiar face in addition to a decidedly aggressive canine form. He nodded slightly to the large black dog. "Hello cousin, Professor Lupin. I wish to speak with Potter. That's all." Draco held up his empty hands in a gesture of surrender. 

Remus Lupin lowered his wand and glanced at the large black dog. "I reckon we can hear him out. Don't you?"

The dog growled ominously before changing into the form of a well known mass murderer. "I guess we have enough time to listen."

Suddenly the group heard a mattress squeak.

They all turned to face the noise and upon seeing Harry awake, Draco walked at a deliberately slow pace to the other side of the bed. "Potter, I've come to talk."

Seeing that, Harry sighed. "This couldn't have waited for morning?"

Draco bit his lip and shook his head. "If I waited, I might have had to go home before getting to speak with you..."

Harry and Sirius shared a look before glancing at Remus who asked the question burning on all their tongues. "Why don't you want to go home?" 

"Are you joking?" Draco stared at his former professor and then turned to focus on Harry. "I do want to go home... just not before speaking to you. I heard what you said after you returned from the maze, Potter. The Dark Lord has returned." Draco blinked at Harry. "My father will have gone back to his side."

"Then why do you want to go home?" Sirius frowned in confusion.

Harry's eyes went wide. He'd never thought the Malfoy heir would be fearful of his sire. He wasn't even fifteen yet and there would be all sorts of trouble if he disappeared. How would they keep him safe from his father? "My best idea is to get Dumbledore here in the morning. We can discuss it more in depth. Take the bed beside mine for now, Malfoy. Moony, Padfoot - can I ask you to take up the beds on my other side?"

"You misunderstand me, Potter. I'm not scared of my father nor his Lord...." Draco trailed off. 

"Maybe I'm just tired but you're not making sense, Malfoy. You have been such a git for the last several years and now you need to speak to me urgently, but you're not afraid of your father or Voldemort. " Harry looked incredulous. "What's the bloody emergency that couldn't wait for morning or the train?"

The blond sighed . "Alright, so I'm not always good at explaining things. Look, Father made an awful mistake in our second year. He refuses to go into detail but he's been in contact with the headmaster since September trying to make up for whatever it was. I'm here to tell you there's something off with him. Both of them really, but I don't know what."

Harry's eyes widened. Could it be that Voldemort was involved with whatever this was? Perhaps Lucius Malfoy had something to do with Dumbledore's worry. But hadn't Voldemort said it began a long time ago? He remembered Grindelwald had been mentioned and Lucius wasn't old enough to be involved at that time so that couldn't be right. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What exactly is it you want from me?"

"Was my father there? Wherever it was you were taken? If he was just please don't mention him in any statements. He's not a bad man, Potter. Please." Draco's eyes held a glimmer of sincerity and Harry could tell he loved his father. 

"Your father wasn't there, Malfoy." Harry said gently. "But the last time I saw him he was attempting to kill me so I hope you'll understand if I'm a tad skeptical of him."

"Perhaps that's what he regrets, Potter. Thank you for telling me." Draco's face showed a profound relief. "In return, I offer you a small favor. You may collect at a future time. For now - goodnight."

Harry waited until the blonde boy was out the door before saying anything. "Well that was strange...but not as strange as what really happened in the graveyard."

Sirius looked startled. "You made that up?"

"Not exactly." Harry looked around and sighed. "Is there a spell that will make it difficult to overhear us? I think it best to keep this from Dumbledore...not to mention the general public."

Remus took up his wand and cast several spells in the direction of the door and Madam Pomphrey's office. As soon as Harry was assured that nobody would hear them, he told his godfather the true story. 

Remus and Sirius shared a look. "Well, if it's true, those rumors will likely l be brought back up by the end of the summer." Remus began.

Sirius took over. "You see, Harry, Fudge is refusing to believe that Voldemort has returned while Dumbledore is adamant that you're being truthful. Fudge is the Minister and as such he has a lot of power over the press."

"It has happened in the past that people who oppose the Ministry's policies - unofficial though those policies may be - there's usually a smear campaign to discredit them." Remus explained. "The Daily Prophet will see to it."

"Get some more sleep." Sirius ruffled Harry's hair. "I'll ask in the morning if you can stay the summer with us either at Remus' home or maybe some other place."

Harry didn't hold much hope as he closed his eyes and when he woke, he was alone but there was a scrolled note in his hand. Harry nodded absently as he read the confirmation that he was stuck with his relatives again. He sighed and went to look for Madam Pomphrey. He needed to pack so he could go home. 

/*/*/*/*/*

On the way to the station Cedric got his attention. He didn't say anything; just handed Harry a small sack. Harry looked inside to find half the prize money from the tournament. By the time he looked up Cedric was gone.

The train ride was uneventful. Ron and Hermione had prefect duties so he was in a compartment with just Neville for most of the trip. There was a short visit from the twins during which they mentioned wanting to go into business and not having money. When Hermione and Ron returned to sit with him they asked for more details about the graveyard and he was definitely not in the mood to continue talking about it so he pretended to fall asleep for the rest of the ride.

At King's Cross it didn't take long to find his uncle and he vowed to stay silent until they reached the house. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold and italics text = parseltongue

Chapter 2

Harry lasted a week before he had to escape the house and the presence of his relatives. In that week he'd alternated between doing chores and holding up in his bedroom pretending he didn't exist until he couldn't stand it anymore. His books weren't locked up this year so that was something but there was only so much homework he could take at a time. On the seventh day, he decided to try gardening to get some fresh air and still make his relatives think he was 'earning his keep'.

While gardening, he noticed several owls fly around the house at a strange distance which made him think there was a barrier they couldn't get through. He supposed that as long as Hedwig was capable of passing through it all was well. Though now that he thought about it, he hadn't gotten any letters from his friends and he'd spoken to Dobby about messing with his mail so he was fairly certain the elf wasn't up to his old tricks. The idea of going for a walk solidified in his mind as he eyed an owl in the neighbor's tree that seemed to be looking directly at him. 

He put the gardening tools away and went inside. After washing his hands and face with cool water Harry made sure he had his wand and headed out but he was interrupted as he reached for the door knob.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" Vernon called from his position on the living room sofa.

Harry sighed. "For a walk. I'll be back in time to make dinner." He heard his uncle muttering as he closed the door but couldn't be bothered to ask what he'd said. 

When he reached the nearby park and realized that it was empty, he was happy. Nobody would see him with an owl and wonder. Nobody would ask his relatives questions they didn't want to answer. He walked over to a bench and looked around to be sure he wasn't in sight of any houses. After he'd been sitting for a few minutes, the owl he'd seen in his neighbor's tree landed on his shoulder. As soon as he'd untied the letter the bird flew off giving him the confirmation that there was a ward on either himself or his house to control his mail. This wasn't good. 

As he broke the wax seal on the letter in his hand, he realized it was the Gringotts insignia. 

Dear Mr. Potter, 

We are writing to request a meeting due to an irregular development with your vaults - specifically, vault number 687. Please appear at our location in Diagon Alley on or before July 14th. Contact us as soon as possible if you need to reschedule. Thank you for your time. 

Korlag  
Potter Estate Manager

A problem with his vaults? That would imply more than one. He had an estate manager? He had an estate to manage? Harry didn't really know what to make of that so he resolved to ask Vernon to take him to London the next day. He folded the letter and sat down on a swing sighing in frustration. It was hot and he could barely feel a breeze so, when no other owls dropped by, he was forced to accept that his friends were not going to contact him anytime soon. He'd just about had enough of the whole situation and was working up the motivation to go back to Privet drive when Dudley and his gang chose that moment to pass by laughing. He didn't have to be a certified seer to predict the next few minutes. 

Harry thought to himself that he might as well get it over with and called out. "Hey there, Big D. Beat up another ten year old?"

Dudley and his friends smirked at each other and then looked at him. "This one deserved it, Potter!"

"Yeah." Piers sneered.

"Five against one. Very brave." Harry said hoping Dudley could hear the contempt dripping from his words.

Dudley took a few steps toward Harry and glared at him. "You're one to talk. Moaning in your sleep every night. At least I'm not afraid of my pillow." He glanced back to the other boys and laughed. 

"What a freak!" One of Dudley's friends chimed in. 

"Not afraid of squirrels either, am I?" Dudley guffawed. "No, squirrel! You can't do that!"

"Shut up." Harry whispered harshly, hating that he still dreamed of his old teacher turning to ash in his hands.

"He's going to kill me, mum!" Dudley went on taunting his cousin. "Where is your mum, Potter? She dead?"

Harry's hands shook slightly as he took a breath to try and calm himself. It didn't work. 

Harry stood up and pulled his wand, pushing the tip into Dudley's chin. "Shut up!" 

Suddenly the heat drained away. Wind began to whip through his hair and clouds rolled in to cover the sun. As Harry looked around he felt his anger drain just as quickly. 

Dudley looked up into the sky as well and started to get scared. "What are you doing, freak?"

Harry shook his head. "It's not me. I'm not doing anything!"

Harry vaguely heard Dudley's gang disperse, yelling that they were out of here and that Dudley should go with them but he didn't. 

Getting an eerie feeling he took off running towards Privet Drive. Dudley obviously followed close behind because Harry could hear his cousin's heavy footsteps not to mention breathing. 

They ran down the road and into the long alleyway that led from one end of the neighborhood to the other. Harry paused and flung his arm out to block Dudley. It was slowly getting colder here. His breath was visible and growing even more so. He looked back the way they'd come but felt a chill creeping in from that direction too. He knew what they were facing now. He'd felt this way only once before. It scared him enough then to become his boggart and he refused to make the mistake of letting it overwhelm him now. "Run, Dudley. Run and don't stop til you're in the house."

Dudley looked at him and took as deep a breath as he could before taking off at a flat out run. He'd never done what Harry told him before but he could see how grim his cousin's expression was. He'd never seen Harry this way and knew that this was what the magical world saw in him.

Dudley heard Harry yell something so he glanced back to see his cousin held halfway up the wall. He was swinging his stick around directing a huge blur of light and that's when Dudley tripped and landed on his arse. 

Seeing Dudley go down hit Harry like a bolt of lightning. His cousin may not be among his favorite people in life but no magical creature was going to suck out his soul on Harry's watch. He swung his wand toward Dudley and strengthened the resolve behind his magic enough to direct his stag to fight the dementor off Dudley first and then himself. He caught his breath and made his way cautiously to Dudley's side.

"Dud? Are you okay?" Harry shook his cousin's arm. "Dud, c'mon. I need to get you home."

Dudley was completely freaked out. He felt so totally shaken up by this experience that he couldn't make coherent thoughts.

"Do you have any chocolate on you, Dud?" Harry asked urgently. 

"S'all melty." Dudley mumbled. "It's why I was goin' 'ome."

Harry barely understood what the other boy was saying but pulled him up to a standing position. "I can't carry you. You have to help me get you home. I have to get some chocolate into you. It's the only way to treat someone who's been attacked by a dementor."

Dudley held tight to Harry's arm as he led the way to the Dursley house. Hurrying up the walkway, Harry noticed that the car was gone and frowned. He was supposed to make dinner soon and his uncle didn't usually leave the house once he was home from work. He pulled Dudley's key out of his cousin's pocket and opened the door rushing into the living room to drop his cousin on the couch. He bent over to look in Dudley's eyes and saw a wildly unfocused look. "Chocolate, Dud. You need chocolate and you know they hide it from me. Where is the chocolate?"

"Fridge." Dudley blinked at Harry and tried to process what he was saying. "Black pudding. Know you won't touch it."

Harry gritted his teeth but grabbed a blanket and threw it at his cousin as he ran for the kitchen. Ripping open the refrigerator door he swiped the cover off the black pudding container and pulled out the chocolate bar. He took a chunk for himself and handed the rest to Dudley who cowered on the couch. "Eat. You'll feel better in a bit. I don't know where your parents are but I'm not cooking until they're back."

After a few bites of the chocolate, Dudley looked up at Harry with new eyes. "What was it?" He whispered glancing at the door and back at Harry. 

Harry walked over to the window and shifted the curtains to look out. "There were two. They're called dementors. Muggles can't see them but they look similar to the pop culture version of Death. They guard the wizard prison." He racked his brain. "There's no reason for them to be in Little Whingeing. Unless the Ministry's lost control of them..."

"Your lot has a Ministry?" Dudley asked in a daze.

Harry smirked in mild amusement. "Yeah, Dud. We've a Ministry and a Minister of magic. We have a lot of things muggles do. It's just that ours are magic. Have I blown your mind yet?"

Dudley directed his eyes to the floor. "What blows my mind is that you saved me... I didn't deserve it."

Both young men fell silent. 

Then the door slammed open cracking the window beside it. 

Harry's wand was out in the next breath and he dreaded seeing aurors at the other end but it was only Vernon and Petunia so he lowered it quickly. 

Vernon's fat face was red and Petunia's lips were pinched as they stared down at Harry. 

"Where did you go?" Dudley asked them knowing they'd never answer if Harry asked. 

"We were looking for him." Petunia glared at Harry. "It's late and he didn't come back when he was supposed to. Dinner will be late. Then he got a letter from one of those stupid birds and we decided to go find him."

"I got a letter?" Harry asked startled. 

"Here." Vernon shoved it at him. "Dudders, why're you wearing a blanket in summer? Why're you shaking?" 

Petunia blinked at her husband and took a step toward her son.

"WHAT did you DO to him?" Vernon snarled at Harry. 

"What?" Harry's eyes widened as he watched his uncle advance on him. He tried sidestepping to his right to avoid the older man but he wasn't fast enough. 

Vernon's meaty hand caught Harry's arm and squeezed hard causing Harry to yell in pain.

He vaguely heard Petunia rush to Dudley's side and start asking questions but couldn't break free of Vernon's hold.

Dudley on the other hand got angry. "Mum, stop! It wasn't Harry's fault. It was a creature." He got up, dropping the blanket to the floor. "Dad! Dad, stop! You're hurting him!" He pushed past his mother and started pulling at Vernon's arm and bashing at his hand. "You'll break his arm!"

Breathing heavily, Vernon elbowed Dudley. "Get away! I'll kill him! Nobody hurts my boy and gets away with it!"

"It wasn't him, Dad! Get off him!" Dudley insisted and pulled Harry's arm away from his father. 

Harry cried out in pain again and held his left arm close to his chest. 

"Shit. You alright, Harry?" Dudley asked, wincing in sympathy. 

Stepping into the hallway for a bit of space, Harry experimentally moved his hand, wrist and elbow. "Yeah, Dud. It isn't broken, just badly wrenched."

"What's gotten into you, Dudley?" Vernon scowled at the boy. "You're going to defend the freak? I don't even know you anymore!"

Petunia reached out toward her son. "Dudlikins, come with mummy. I'll fix you up...make you something to eat while dad and Harry talk. Yes?"

"No need to talk, is there?" Vernon aimed a smirking glance at Harry before looking at his son. "He's put us all in danger from creatures and other freaks like him. I won't have him here any longer! The freak has endangered us and corrupted you. He'll have to leave." 

Harry stared at his uncle. "You're kicking me out?" 

"That's right, boy. Go pack your things. I want you gone by midnight!" Vernon commanded with a cruel smile. 

Harry looked at his aunt and cousin before nodding slowly. He turned to go upstairs but whirled around when he heard Dudley clear his throat. 

"If Harry goes, so do I." Dudley said quietly. 

Vernon was shocked to say the least. "Don't be ridiculous, Dudders. You're not going anywhere!"

"No, dad. Harry saved my life tonight...and this is how you repay him?" Dudley shook his head sadly. "He clearly values me more than you do. If he's not welcome here then neither am I. C'mon, Harry. Let's get out of here."

Petunia sat on the couch and began to cry. 

"No. It's too dangerous, Dud. I can't let you do this. You're safer in the muggle world." Harry said, holding up a hand as if to immobilize him. 

"I'm safer with you than without you, Harry. I also have a lot to make up for." Dudley held out his hand. "Please let me?"

Harry sighed at the look on his cousin's face and couldn't say no. He shook Dudley's hand and thought back to a movie he'd seen. "Alright. Let's travel light. I'll send Hedwig to my friends with my trunk. They'll let her stay for a few days and hold my trunk for me. The rest can go in my rucksack. You pack the big duffle bag - a couple changes of clothes, some chocolate, maybe a bottle of water for each of us. Anything you don't think you can live without - but we can't be weighed down by a bunch of luggage."

"Got it." Dudley grinned and hurried off. 

Harry was hot on Dudley's heels. As soon as he was alone, Harry opened his letter. It was from the Ministry telling him they'd detected his use of magic in a muggle area but as no muggles were present this was a warning. 

No muggles were present... Harry looked up as the door opened. 

"You ready, Harry?" Dudley asked.

"Just about. I hardly ever take my things out of my trunk so a bit of shuffling around will only take a minute." Harry said grimly. 

He slipped the confusing letter into his rucksack along with the letter from Gringotts and pulled a set of robes out of his trunk along with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. His trainers were on his feet and the socks he was wearing were clean when he put them on that morning. He rushed to seal his trunk with magic and threw his clothes into his rucksack. Then he remembered that his homework hadn't been completed and decided to simply shrink the trunk rather than send it to Ron. A swish of his wand had the trunk small enough to put in his pocket and one more swish did the same with Dudley's duffle bag. Freeing up both their hands, just in case. Hedwig was nowhere in sight so she must've been out hunting. So he shrunk the cage and added it to his rucksack. 

"I hope the Knight Bus is willing to pick us up." Harry muttered, pocketing his wand as they walked down the stairs.

Vernon glared as they closed the door behind them but both boys seemed to sigh in relief when that moment came. 

"We have to get out of sight of muggles. Then I can summon the bus." Harry looked both ways and pointed. "That way looks good."

Dudley looked around nervously but followed Harry closely. 

They had only gotten a few feet when Harry heard something from a bush.

_**"Help...?"** _

Harry stopped and looked around. 

"What?" Dudley wanted to know. "What's going on?"

"Did you hear something?" Harry asked quietly. 

Dudley was shaking his head but it came again. 

_**"Please help me?"** _

"Someone is calling for help." Harry watched his cousin's face. "You don't hear it?" Another head shake from the other boy solidified his eerie gut feeling. He sighed. "That means it's a snake."

"S-s-snake?" Dudley stuttered. 

"Yes." Harry nodded absently as he began searching for the source of the calling voice. "I can talk to them...and understand them. It's not something everyone can do, so please don't talk to anyone about it."

Dudley made a twisting movement in front of his lips.

Harry smirked at the childish gesture that resembled the turning of a key but accepted it as a promise to keep his secrets. "I'm going to call out to the snake. You won't understand me." 

Dudley just nodded. 

_**"Hello? Do you need help?"**_ Harry hissed quietly. 

_**"Please!"** _

_**"Keep talking so I can find you!"**_ Harry called out. He lit his wand and went deeper into the trees. 

"Ha-Ha-Harry? There's a man over here!" Dudley called softly and Harry could hear the fear dripping from each word. "He's not moving and there's lots of blood!"

"Shit. That's all we need." Harry muttered. "Don't panic, Dud. We'll figure it out. **_Where are you? Are you hurt? I can't see you."_**

_**"You are beneath me, young speaker."** _

Harry looked up to see a long snake hanging from the branches of the tree next to him. Thinking quickly he used Wingardium Leviosa to lift the snake and lower her down to the ground.

"She's hurt badly." Harry murmured as he checked the snake's body for injuries. ** _"I don't know much about healing but I'll do what I can."_** He wiped away the blood and tried the only spell he knew for healing small cuts and breaks. "Episkey." When it worked, he continued until he had healed all the cuts. _**"Was the dead human hunting you?"**_

_**"No, young speaker. He was among the group who were hunting a large spiked feline creature. I was with them but only that human and I survived. He was wounded and, when the magical device dropped us, I landed in the trees but he mustn't have been strong enough to live through the fall."** _

_**"I see."**_ Harry thought for a moment. The creature the snake was describing sounded like a nundu. He wondered why someone wanted to hunt a nundu in the middle of a war. "Dudley, did you check for a pulse or ID?" Dudley looked terrified so Harry sighed. "This is why I didn't think you should come, Dud. I'm right smack in the middle of a war...or soon will be. There's danger and death around every corner. If you can't handle it... well, I'll have to find a safe place for you to stay while my friends and I fight."

Dudley shook his head and looked Harry in the eye. "I'll just have to get a thicker skin. How do I do what you asked me? The pulse thing?"

Harry took his cousin's hand and showed him where to find the pulse on his own neck. "This is what it feels like when the person is alive. If you don't find a pulse, put your hand in front of his mouth to feel if he's breathing. Then check for identification or a wand."

Nodding grimly, Dudley approached the man and did as Harry had instructed. "He's not breathing and I don't feel anything at his throat. Where would I find his wand if he had one?"

"One of his sleeves or a pocket. Go through his pockets first." Harry told him. "Any coins will be useful."

"Wand!" Dudley called out. "Looks like a small pouch...I hear jingling...coins! A bunch of silver ones and a few gold."

"Good. Put the pouch in your pocket. I'll tell you about them later. Did you find anything else in his pockets?" Harry wondered, turning back to the snake. " ** _Are you feeling better?"_**

**_"Yes, young speaker. Now that the bleeding has stopped, I am slowly getting stronger."_ **

**_"Where were you going?"_** Harry asked the snake. **_"Would you like to stay with us for a while?"_**

**_"Thank you, young speaker. If you do not mind I would like to gather my strength before attempting to return to my home."_ **

**_"I don't mind at all."_** Harry smiled at her as he stroked her scales. "Dud? Wand? Anything else in the pockets?"

Dudley nodded silently holding out a broken wand and a small leather sack slightly larger than the coin pouch. 

Harry took it and looked inside to find nundu spikes. He tied the sack closed and pulled out his trunk. He made quick work of enlarging it and dumping the contents of his rucksack into it before placing the sack in the pocket of the rucksack. Then he held it open for the snake to enter easily. She was silent as she settled in. 

**_"I'll try not to jostle you too much."_ **Harry whispered as he closed the flap. He turned back and cast the shrinking charm. As he slid the trunk into his pocket, Harry lifted his wand and pointed to the street. A few steps forward and he heard it - the sound of the Knight Bus as it rattled to a stop.

Stan Shunpike opened the door. "Welcome to the Knight Bus - emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is... 'old on a tic. I know this one's face, I do!"

"Nevermind that, Stan. I need to know something before we board. You do transport squibs as well as witches and wizards, don't you?" Harry asked. 

"Course, but only if they're accompanied by a witch or wizard." Stan looked him over and then switched his gaze to Dudley. 

"Good. Dudley, come on." Harry motioned for his cousin to follow. "We're expected at the Leaky Cauldron, if you please, and if you can keep it quiet that I was traveling...just for a day or two... it would be helpful." 

"There's the small matter of the fee... Mr. Longbottom?" Stan smirked. 

"Right. Eleven sickles, wasn't it?" Harry asked digging into his pocket. He looked down at his eight sickles, ten knuts, and one galleon. "Dud, how much is in your pouch?"

Dudley pulled the coin pouch out and counted quickly. "Sixteen silver coins and five gold."

Harry handed his coins to Dudley and told him softly. "Give him eleven silver sickles for each of us. Give me the gold. It's best to split it between us anyway." He pocketed most of the gold coins but, in a slight of hand move that any muggle magician would envy, two galleons slid down his pants leg to land on the floor beside Stan.

"Leaky... didn't you say?" Stan's eyes widened as he bent to pick them up.

"Yes, please." Harry replied with a nod. 

"Take 'er away, Ern!" Stan yelled as his hand disappeared with the coins into his pocket. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold + italics = parseltongue

**Chapter 3**

On the way, Harry told Dudley what to expect at the Leaky Cauldron. "It's basically a pub but there's rooms upstairs and the back door leads to an alley with a secret entrance to the wizarding world."

Dudley stared at his cousin. "A secret entrance?"

Harry chuckled. "Yeah. I love magic!"

"Can I tell you something?" Dudley asked in a shame tinged whisper. At Harry's nod, he continued. "I kinda always wished they were wrong about magic. I hoped it was real...that it wasn't evil or freakish."

Shocked, Harry wanted to say something but the bus pulled to the curb at that moment. "Dud, we can't talk here. C'mon." He bid a quiet goodbye to Stan and hurried off the bus with Dudley's hand in his. He tugged his cousin through the door and over to the bar where Tom greeted him with an awed expression. 

"Do you have a room for us, please, Tom? No time to talk and if you don't mind, I'll settle the details with you tomorrow." Harry said in a serious manner. 

"But Mr. Pot-!" Tom sputtered a protest making Harry realize that his easy going personality wasn't likely to get things done. 

Harry held up a hand. "Dumbledore's meeting me here tomorrow night, Tom. We can keep this between us till then, can't we?"

Tom froze but nodded and handed over a key. "Tomorrow."

"Do you have an owl available?" Harry asked.

"I'll bring her up in a bit." The innkeeper replied, making a shoo motion with his hand. 

A glance at the key showed that they'd been assigned to room number nine so Harry tapped Dudley's arm and used his head to point the way. 

Once the boys were safely hidden in their room, Harry leaned back against the door and took a deep breath. "Dud...what you said back there...I-I'm glad you came with me." He paused to look his cousin in the eye. "I am. You'll get to see the good, happy, wonderful side of magic...but you need to know... there's an evil side too. You're going to have to be careful who you talk to and what you tell them. You'll be in danger if you tell certain people that you're related to me."

Dudley processed this information carefully and nodded. 

"I'm pretty sure my godfather will be able to help us. I'll owl him as soon as possible and wake you if we're moving. Once I go to Gringotts tomorrow morning, I'll know more." Harry waited for a nod before moving on. "The innkeeper usually provides breakfast for the people who rent rooms...at least, he did at the start of my third year. We'll figure out the other meals later. For now, you should get some sleep." 

Just as Dudley stood up to prepare for bed, there was a knock on the door. It was Tom with the owl so Harry hastily wrote a note and attached it to the bird's leg. Tom opened the window and let the pretty female barn owl fly out before leaving for the night. 

Harry waved goodbye to him but didn't say anything as he watched the owl disappear into the distance. He then set wards on the door and got his night clothes out of the trunk. Just as he laid his exhausted head on the pillow, the owl returned. Harry hurried to let it in but was dismayed to find his own note still attached. He wondered if perhaps Sirius had a ward that controlled his mail as well. Dumbledore would have many questions to answer. With a frown, Harry laid down and fell asleep quickly. 

/*/*/*/*/*

Both boys scrambled to their feet when someone knocked on the door the next morning. 

"Housekeeping! Breakfast is being served downstairs." 

Harry called out to her. "Please give us ten minutes."

"Right, then, ten minutes."

Harry sighed. "We've got to hurry, Dud."

Dudley huffed. His frustration was getting the better of him for a moment. "Do you have to call me that?"

"Call you what?" Harry asked, baffled. 

"Dud." The slightly older boy said it with a frown. "I hate it."

"Your parents have called you worse than that. Dudders. Diddykins. What's wrong with Dud?" Harry asked scrunching his face to show his confusion. 

"It's just..." Dudley looked down at the ground and his voice took on a somber tone. "It's not positive, see? A dud is something that doesn't work. I'm not a dud. I'm going to do better at being your family, Harry. I'm going to work hard at it too."

Harry thought about it and took a deep breath as he nodded. "Alright. I'll stop. That's not what I meant by it but if you want me to stop, I will. Now, pack up. I don't want to leave our things here...just in case."

"What should I do while you're at the bank?" Dudley asked as he got himself dressed and repacked his bag. 

"You're coming with me. I don't think you'll be safe wandering the alley and if we get separated you can get in real trouble." Harry told the other boy. 

"Hey, Harry? What's that thing you asked the bus guy about? It sounded like a squig or something?" Dudley wanted to know. 

Harry stopped what he was doing. "Squibs are descendants of magical people who have no magic. The letter Vernon gave me last night - from the Ministry - was scolding me for using magic in a muggle area but since there were no muggles present at the time it didn't result in any punishment."

This seemed to only confuse Dudley more. "Ok, what's a muggle again?"

"Muggles are non magical people with no blood connection to a magical person." Harry explained patiently. "Somehow you aren't a muggle, Dudley. You're a squib, which means that one or more of our shared ancestors were magical. That would also explain why our grandparents were so happy that my mother was a witch."

The awed expression on his cousin's face was mildly amusing to Harry but he tried not to let it show as he turned around to dress.

_**"Young speaker?"** _

Harry had forgotten the snake in the confusion of the night before. _**"Good morning. How are you feeling today?**_ " He went over and sat beside his rucksack where the snake was peeking her head out.

_**"Stronger but, if I could eat, my recovery would be faster."** _

**_"Of course it would."_** Harry agreed. " ** _I can pick something up at the Magical Menagerie after we go to the bank."_**

**_"That would be sssensational. Thank you, young ssspeaker."_ **

**_"There will be someone coming to service the room. You should stay hidden until I return."_ **Harry smiled as he watched the snake retreat into her sanctuary. That changed things a bit. He took stock of everything that had happened in the last two days. "I can't take the snake into Gringotts. We'll have to leave her here with the rucksack. Maybe that's a good thing anyway. I dunno. We're taking everything else though."

Dudley nodded. "Ready when you are, Harry."

A flick of the wand shrunk their luggage again and they left the room in search of breakfast.

After a full fry-up, Harry led Dudley to the back door of the pub. "Just as we discussed, Dudley. We'll walk straight down the alley. I won't let anybody distract me and you stick right behind me. I'll smooth things over if you have to get physical, but I don't want you more than two steps behind me."

"Nobody separates us. I got it." Dudley's expression was one of stubborn determination. 

Harry nodded to reassure someone - he wasn't sure if it was Dudley or himself - and then he opened the door leading the way to the brick wall that would allow them passage to Diagon Alley. A glance told him Dudley was not convinced this wasn't a dead end so he smirked as he tapped the bricks in the correct order. 

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Harry smiled at the wonder in his cousin's eyes as the bricks curled to the sides showing a clear path toward the magical marketplace. He squeezed Dudley's shoulder and began to walk purposefully down the street. Halfway through, Harry thought he heard his name, so he threw a look behind him to make sure Dudley was there. His cousin was safely in place so he turned to walk backwards for a few paces and possibly find whoever was calling out to him.

Remus came running up to him out of nowhere. "Harry, what's going on? Tom floo-called headquarters this morning to report and said you swept in late last night with no notice and no details. We're all terribly worried."

"Headquarters? Nevermind, I have business at the bank, Moony. I don't feel safe speaking out in the open." Harry looked both ways as he turned forward again. "If you want the story, come along with us."

Remus frowned but agreed for privacy sake to join him. "Us?"

Harry nodded and gestured to indicate Dudley. "My cousin is traveling with me. He's a squib, not a muggle as I'd originally been told."

They entered Gringotts with minimal fuss and Harry approached the nearest counter. "Hello, my name is Harry Potter. I'm looking for Korlag."

The goblin behind the counter had wide eyes as he looked up at the young wizard. He nodded and tapped a glyph on the surface to his left.

A moment later a deep gravelly voice cleared their throat. "Mr. Potter, please follow me. Your guests may join us."

Harry turned to face the small male goblin. "It's nice to meet you, Korlag." 

"And you, young man." Korlag looked him over and motioned for Harry's party to follow. They went down a corridor and into an office where Harry was glad to see several chairs. After the group sat down, the goblin was silent and pensive. 

Harry looked around the room as he waited for someone to speak. A nearby table held a pitcher of water and some glasses but the room was otherwise large and spacious with several torches.

"Korlag, your letter said there's an issue with my vaults and you're supposedly my estate manager but I was unaware there was enough of an estate to manage, let alone that I had more than one vault." Harry said quite seriously. 

"Ah, yes...that was not just a story to get you here. Your guardian has refused to produce you and I have urgent information for you." Korlag confided. 

"Now you're telling me I have a guardian?" Harry asked in amazement.

"Sirius Black isn't available to be in contact with you, sir. I wonder who might be usurping his position as Harry's guardian." Remus asserted indignantly. 

"Albus Dumbledore." Korlag told them grimly. 

Harry frowned and Remus was speechless while Dudley just sat there not understanding what this meant. 

"He came to us the day after you first defeated Voldemort." Korlag went on. "He told us you - the Potter heir - were safely placed with your mother's family and would return to the wizarding world in good time. He named himself your guardian and instructed me to continue managing the estate in your name. We have wanted to speak to you about your account and let you know what had been done during your absence since your first visit but Dumbledore insisted that you were too young to be involved. He told us you would approach us when you wanted to deal with adult issues and that as long as your trust fund vault remained at a sufficient amount to pay for schooling and books along with a bit of pocket money every year we should keep from bothering you with such things."

Harry and Remus shared a look. This wasn't something the headmaster of a school would normally do for a student. It was also far more invasive than a normal guardian should be. 

Thinking fast, Harry turned back to Korlag. "You said you had urgent information."

"Yes, indeed." Korlag nodded handing over a sheet of paper. "This shows that there is recent activity in one of the previously stagnant accounts. I didn't authorize any movement of funds from any of your vaults in the last thirty days and yet the balance is down by over a thousand galleons. I believe your guardian has gone around me and embezzled."

Harry's mind was racing. He looked at Remus again. "Could this have something to do with your 'headquarters' remark earlier? Did my parents perhaps authorize him to one of the accounts?"

"Not that I know of, Harry, but it's possible." The older man looked at the goblin. "Is there any way of knowing that?"

"No outside party has access to any of the Potter accounts. As Harry's guardian, he isn't considered one though. Whoever allowed this only initialed the transaction and a notation indicates that the purpose of it was a new wardrobe for Mr. Potter." Korlag looked disdainfully at Harry's clothing. "It was clearly not used as stated."

"If only we could get Sirius proven innocent. He could take over your guardianship and then you and your money would be safe!" Remus lamented. 

"Mr. Potter, your safety is at stake?" Korlag looked startled. 

Harry sighed in frustration. "Yes. Not only is Dumbledore possibly embezzling from me but Voldemort is back. Also two dementors were in my neighborhood last evening. They attacked me and my cousin. I was able to fight them off but my aunt and uncle kicked me out. That's why Dudley is with me. I saved his life and he's changed his mind about me."

Remus sat back in his chair with a hand on his head. "Dementors in Little Whinging? And they attacked? On your private property?"

Hary flushed. "Well we were at the nearby park. I'd noticed an increase of owls in the area but only Hedwig was coming to the Dursley house so I thought that if I could go for a walk or something the owls would find me...anyway Dudley and I were heading back for dinner and the dementors caught us in the small tunnel between blocks. It was just me and him. I saw them and panicked at first because I was with a muggle and I didn't want to get in trouble - underage magic and all. But they forced the issue and I had to cast the patronus spell."

"He was amazing." Dudley whispered to the astonishment of the wizards and goblin. "He was shining and the magic he was making - I felt warm and safe. It's what I always thought magic should feel like. Then my parents came home and kicked him out. He'd saved my life. What kind of parents kick out the person who saved their son's life?"

Harry scratched the back of his head and continued. "I got him to the house and got us both some chocolate. Then his parents came and yelled at me and then they handed me a letter from the Ministry. The letter said that I was detected using magic in a muggle area but stated that since no muggles were present there would be no repercussions."

Dudley finished the story. "So somehow that means I'm a squibble and I can come with Harry to be in the magical world."

Harry chuckled. "The word is squib, Dudley. You're a squib."

Remus was shocked as Korlag's face took on a menacing appearance. "Dumbledore is clearly unable to keep you safe, Mr. Potter, and he is therefore unfit to be your guardian. Perhaps we can find someone who is fit."

Harry sat up taller in his chair. "How?"

"A simple blood test and we will find any remaining family members you may have." Korlag looked grim. "It will also tell us if there are any enchantments on you, such as one that may be keeping the owls away."

Harry nodded. "Let's do it."

Korlag returned the nod and excused himself for a moment. He came back with a second goblin who was holding several scrolls of parchment. 

One was placed in front of Dudley while the rest were given to Harry. 

"One drop of blood on each scroll, please, Mr. Potter. Each scroll has been treated with a different detection potion." After explaining this to Harry, Korlag looked at the suspected squib. "This one will prove your status one way or another."

The unnamed goblin handed each boy a dagger and waited.

Harry pricked his finger being sure Dudley had seen how. Then he touched each scroll and didn't look away as they began to glow.

"They will glow blue while they process the blood and green when they are ready to be read." Korlag informed them. "This one will glow red if you are under dangerous enchantments and yellow if there are enchantments but they aren't harmful."

The first ones to turn green were the ancestry charts.

Korlag opened one and laid it on his desk with a large piece of granite to flatten it. "My word! Alright, your mother is at the top then her parents appear and so on down the page. It seems that Lily Evans wasn't a muggleborn after all. She and your aunt were born of a squib line from the..." Korlag plopped down into his chair. "The Hufflepuff lineage!"

"Yes, but..." The second goblin who hadn't been introduced pointed further down the chart. "Look!"

Harry stood up to see better and followed the goblin's finger to a couple with very distinctive surnames. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. 

"That is Rowena Ravenclaw's son, Warin, and he appears to have wed Helga Hufflepuff's granddaughter, Gunnora - as indicated by this gold line." Korlag stepped up to touch the parchment. Using his finger, he traced the names as he read them. "Their daughter, a witch named Felice, married a muggle and birthed three children - a female squib named Edith and two wizards. One for each line. Your mother, Lily, was that squib's great granddaughter and she married James Potter. Let's open his now." He motioned for the other goblin to bring the Potter chart. "Now, it is known that James Potter descended from a pureblood line - the Peverell family, I believe. Among that family's descendants, there are several fairly famous ones but the one who stands out is Godric Gryffindor - yes there he is..." Korlag traced a line on the chart. "And he was rumored to have conducted an affair of the heart with Salazar Slytherin's elder daughter, Sabelina. The affair is now confirmed by this red line. They were unwed when the child was born and she apparently allowed Godric to raise him with his wife who was infertile due to a childhood disease."

"Are you telling me that..." Harry fell backwards into his chair holding his head. "That's...! That's crazy! I'm the sole heir to all four of Hogwarts founders? Why didn't anyone know about this? Does Dumbledore know? Why wasn't I told?"

"There are likely cousins along the branches somewhere. I can look into it for you if you like...but, as to your situation, it is unlikely that anyone knew, Mr. Potter." Korlag tried to comfort the teen. "Without access to a test like this very few people would be able to trace a family tree that isn't their own."

"Except that Dumbledore had access to both me and a potions master who would know how to make these test potions." Harry looked at the goblin. "Professor Severus Snape is knowledgeable enough about potions that he could've made them. Couldn't he? Remus?"

Remus sighed and nodded but before he could say anything Dudley's scroll turned green.

Korlag picked it up. "Well, Mr. Dursley, you are indeed a squib of the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw line. As such, you're entitled to a small vault left in trust by your and Harry's great great grandmother. Harry, your mother never looked that deeply into her ancestry so she wasn't able to take possession of the significantly larger vault left in trust for a magical descendant. It therefore goes to you."

Harry was floored but he managed to keep hold of his emotions. He nodded solemnly. "I accept but I want to give some of it to Dudley. We should receive equal amounts as we are both descendants by the same degree. Is there anything else I need to know?"

The door to the room opened to admit a very old goblin. She was dressed humbly and carrying a cloth sack. "Is it true, Korlag? Is your client the heir of the four?"

"Bealush!" Korlag looked startled but he nodded and turned to face Harry. "Bealush is one of the goblin seers, Mr. Potter."

"The marriage of your parents was foretold, young Potter." Bealush informed the group pulling a stone slab from the sack she was holding. "My grandmother saw it and her prophecy is written in this stone."

Harry looked at it but couldn't understand. Then he realized it was written in goblin glyphs. He silently watched Korlag place it on the desk. 

"Well...my word..." Korlag didn't seem to realize that nobody else in the room could read it.

"Please, sir, would you translate?" Harry asked. 

"Oh. Of course, Mr. Potter." Korlag said, nodding quickly. "When the heir of Moor and Fen weds with that of Valley and Glen, blood and magic are multiplied by ten." 

Harry frowned. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"The founders of Hogwarts are from those places, Harry." Remus said quietly. "Godric Gryffindor was from the moors and Slytherin originally came from the fen. Hufflepuff was from the valley and Ravenclaw..."

It clicked. Harry was astonished that he actually heard a click when it occurred to him that he'd heard the sorting hat at Hogwarts talk about the founders that way. "Was from Scotland which is commonly considered a glen! The Sorting Hat spoke of them in one of his beginning of the school year songs! But what does it mean?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Dudley asked. "Moor and fen is your dad, and the other two is your mum."

"But it says blood and magic are multiplied by ten and that would mean that I'm supposed to be really powerful...but I'm not." Harry pointed out. "I'm just an average student. Not at the top of my class or anything...and how can blood multiply by ten?"

Bealush smiled a toothy grin. "Perhaps, young Potter, your line has been wronged. Perhaps you are meant to get revenge on your enemies."

"Or maybe..." Dudley smirked and elbowed Harry's arm suggestively. "Maybe you'll get married and have lots of kids!"

The last scroll turned green as he said this giving Harry an eerie feeling even as he rolled his eyes at his cousin. As they watched, the green scroll turned yellow and then red before beginning to switch back and forth. 

Korlag shooed everyone back away from the scroll as he unrolled it.

"There are blocks on your mail, your mind and your magic, Mr. Potter. Some of them also affect your body. You must be seen by a healer as soon as possible." Korlag looked at Bealush as if he'd never seen her before. "The Director must be notified."

The elderly goblin only smiled in the direction of the door.

As a new goblin entered the room only a moment later, Harry watched Korlag and the unnamed assistant bow deeply so he knew this one was quite important, though he was slightly confused by the fact that Bealush wasn't bowing.

The new goblin smiled at Harry. "My name is Tukron. I am the director of the branch of Gringotts located here in the United Kingdom. You seem puzzled, Mr. Potter."

"I'm sorry, sir. I wondered why Korlag and his assistant bowed but..." Harry trailed off as Tukron laughed.

"It was long ago decreed that the ruler's family need not bow to each other. Bealush is my father - the Emperor's - mother." He smiled at her. "Before joining you, she informed me that my presence was needed because a prophecy of our people had come to pass and the subjects of the prophecy had a child who was here in our establishment. Korlag?"

Harry's estate manager stepped up. "Mr. Potter is the child of James and Lily Potter. In turn they are the subjects of the prophecy on this stone slab." 

The group waited as Tukron read the prophecy and then the scrolls. He had a livid expression as he began issuing commands in the goblin tongue. 

Korlag and his assistant hurried to do his bidding as Tukron finally addressed Harry. "Mr. Potter, you are in great danger. You have been subjected to many potions and spells and forced to grow up under their influence. I have called for our healer and he will take these blocks down. You're at only forty percent mental and magical strength and fifty percent physical strength. You should be taller with slightly more musculature for your age. These were blocked by potions but that can be fixed."

Korlag hurried back into the room and began setting up a strange piece of equipment. "Olgok will be here in moments, Director. He has instructed that Mr. Potter lay on his back inside this construct and refrain from touching any living being until the cleansing is complete."

Harry approached the strange collection of metal pieces that resembled an oval shaped gazebo. He laid out on the floor and was startled as he began to float. 

"Do not be afraid." A voice called from the doorway. "I apologize for my failure to warn you that this would happen. I am Olgok - healer of the goblin people. There are spells in the device you occupy that make it easier to see what's going on in your body. With this, we will determine exactly how to heal any damage."

Harry calmed down a bit and nodded his consent to continue the process. 

"Beginning from the top down... Your eyesight is affected heavily. Your senses of touch and smell are fine but your hearing could be better." Olgok opened a pocket and pulled several ingredients out that Harry recognized. Carrots, ginseng, guava, echinacea, and licorice root were placed in a cauldron before the healer added water and stirred. "Your bones could do with a bit of strengthening. You've also been malnourished for quite a while so you'll need vitamin potions and a bit of exercise will help build muscle." He proceeded to throw several leaves of kale and spinach into the mixture before raising the temperature of the cauldron. The group watched as the concoction rose to a boil. "This potion will fix your eyesight and hearing but we will need spells along with a specific participant for the blocks on your magic and mind." Olgok looked at Tukron. "We will need the boy's true guardian, Sirius Black."

"A criminal?" Tukron sounded shocked. 

Harry heard a brief argument in the goblin language before Remus stepped in.

"How important is it for Black to be here?" Remus asked quietly. "Is it his presence - his magic - that we need or just consent?"

Tukron looked suspiciously at Remus. "You know where he is. Don't you?"

Remus nodded silently. 

"I was told that you believe he is innocent." The head goblin narrowed his eyes at Remus who only nodded again. 

Thinking of the stories he'd been told, Harry snorted in amusement. Sirius was not guilty of the crimes he was charged with but he was not innocent in the least. 

"Consent is not necessary. Mr. Potter is a bank client and, as the subject of a goblin prophecy, we consider fourteen years of age to be old enough to make his own decisions." Tukron told him. "Sirius Black is a fugitive of wizarding law not my father's law. For the safety of our client, get him here with all due haste."

"Do you have any port-keys?" Remus asked. "If not, may I make one?"

Tukron handed Remus a small statue of a goblin. "This is spelled to return to the front lobby of the bank. Mr. Potter and Mr. Dursley will be safe here. We will administer the first potion for now."

Remus didn't waste time as he hurried out the door. 

Olgok pulled Dudley and a chair across the room and placed them into the corner. Then he set a number of large stones in a circle around him. "You must stay behind these stones which have been soaked in protective potions. You don't have a magical core to protect you from any side effects of what we're about to do."

Harry watched this whole thing play out with a dazed chuckle. Sirius would be here soon with Remus. Dudley was here. Dumbledore wasn't as good as he'd always thought. The goblins were being incredibly helpful. He would soon be healthy. It was more than he'd ever hoped for. 

Olgok brought a large mug over and handed it to Harry. "This is the first dose, Mr. Potter. The next dose will be given in a few minutes. Bottoms up!"

Sighing, Harry drank the concoction down. "Not bad, even with the licorice! A bit of crushed ice and it could be a smoothie!"

The old healer smiled at the comparison before handing Harry half a chocolate bar. "I still detect the effects of the dementor attack. This will help."

Harry didn't resist but he pointed to Dudley. 

Olgok got the hint and gave the rest of the chocolate to the squib. Young Potter was an uncommonly generous wizard. 

Just as Olgok handed over the second dose of the mixture, the door opened to allow Remus and Sirius to enter Korlag's office. 

"Pup! How are you? What's this about squibs and dementors and potions?" Sirius rushed over but the device held him back.

Harry downed the rest of the smoothie-like potion and joked. "You know me, Padfoot, nothing is ever simple. You'll get the whole story at some point, I promise. Right now they need you for a spell because you're my guardian."

"Because in the magical world godfather is not just a ceremonial title, cub." Remus led Sirius over to Tukron.

"Lord Black, there is a ward on the door leading out of the lobby. Had you any evil intentions, you would have been trapped there." Tukron looked him over with approval. "I am inclined to believe Mr. Lupin and Mr. Potter that your imprisonment was wrongful."

While the Director was speaking to Sirius, Olgok was busy mixing a new potion. As he brewed it, he spoke. "The potions that are influencing you are dangerous because they're blocking your natural tendencies. Your body should've absorbed more of the nutrients in your food over the years. Your mind should've been able to absorb more knowledge. With so many powerful witches and wizards in your family your innate knowledge of magic should be more developed than it is - even considering the disconnection and being raised by squibs."

"I wonder how I could have been exposed to the potions." Harry commented. "Who could have done it and to what purpose?"

"It was probably done by whoever had access to you before you were placed with the squibs. The potions also affected your emotions. The parts of your mind that control free will have been dulled. The potions have made you calmer and more agreeable than you might otherwise be. Drink this." Olgok handed the potion to Harry and watched him begin to drink before turning to the humans. "Come! We must hurry! The longer Mr. Potter has these blocks on him, the more likely he is to become unstable and lose control of his magic and emotions."

Harry overheard this and asked the healer. "Is that why things tend to vibrate when I'm angry?"

Olgok nodded slightly. "Your wandless magic is in need of fine tuning. A bit of practice and that should stop."

Harry snorted. "Fine tuning? I can't do wandless magic. I've tried."

"Hmmm...your bloodline has the potential for it, Mr. Potter. Wandless magic is a combination of mental control and emotion. Perhaps a bit of effort and training will help but it is also likely affected by the blockages we're about to remove." Olgok nodded absently. "Let's begin! Our places are the cardinal directions! Tukron stands at the north - Mr. Potter's head. I stand at the south - his feet. Lord Black must stand at the west and Mr. Lupin at the east. It is unnecessary for either of you to join the incantation unless you are fluent in the fae language."

The goblins began to chant in a strange language that Harry had never heard. Suddenly the four adults joined hands around his body and the chanting became more intense. 

Harry couldn't see properly so he closed his eyes and gave up trying.

Dudley watched in fear as light flashed and rocks began to fall near the wizards. The mens' hair also started to whip around in a swirling wind which soon filled the room. A torch fell from its place on the wall, knocking the pitcher of water off its table. Small pebbles took flight along with the embers from the broken torch and the water became a misty fog. Dudley covered his face to protect his eyes from lightning and debris and when he heard the chanting stop he looked up. The fog had disappeared but there didn't seem to be anything to see. Everyone was on the floor. 

"Harry?" Dudley called softly. "Anyone?"

Hearing Dudley's voice woke Harry up. He opened his eyes and looked around with new vision. He stood up and noticed that he felt higher up and didn't feel the need to ask for his glasses. The potion in the ritual must have worked.

"Are you okay, Dudley?" Harry asked his cousin. At Dudley's nod, Harry continued. "They seem to be out for the count. I'll try to wake them." 

Harry walked over to each in turn and gripped their arms. Remus opened his eyes and scrambled to his feet, breathing fast. Sirius woke next but remained on his back for a moment while Harry moved on to the goblin director who gave Harry a nod of thanks and turned to help his grandmother while Remus woke Korlag and the assistant. 

Once everyone was able to participate in the discussion again, Remus and Sirius looked at Harry. 

"It's amazing." Sirius smiled. "I don't have to look down at you anymore, pup!"

Remus grinned. "You've grown at least sixteen centimeters and your eyes have changed a little." He conjured a mirror so Harry could see that his eyes were still green but they had a deeper tone now.

Sirius winked at him. "Take a look at those arms, Moony! Quite ripped! The girls certainly won't be disappointed, eh, Harry?"

Harry made a face. "I don't think that's the right audience, Padfoot."

"Oh?" Sirius chuckled in surprise. "You play for our team?" Remus shook his head and elbowed his lover lightly in the ribs.

Harry laughed, nodding sheepishly as he saw Olgok moving the protective stones away from Dudley. 

"If everyone would join us by the desk, gentlemen? Let's talk this through." Tukron made sweeping motions calling them over. The chairs had been upended in the windstorm so everyone took one and righted it before sitting down. 

Olgok came close to inspect his patient. "Let us begin with the obvious. In the confusion your glasses were knocked from your face. I found them on the floor, broken...yet here you are walking and functioning well without them."

Harry nodded with a grin. "Yeah, I can see better than ever!"

A sly smirk came to Olgok's face and he turned around. "What about your hearing?" He whispered; his volume just above a breath. 

Harry chuckled. "Couldn't be better!"

"Are you certain?" Olgok winked and ran out into the hallway, closing the door. 

Harry laughed at this but closed his eyes and listened carefully. 

When the healer returned, he asked, "What did I say and what is the answer?"

"You said 'if you can hear me now tell me what color threads are in Tukron's vest.'" Harry answered. "If you'd asked me before, I would have told you they were black. Solid black. Now that my eyesight is fixed I can see that it is mostly black with several strands of deep grey every few centimeters."

"Wonderful! Now, according to the statistics for wizards your age, you are closer to the height and weight you should be. However, you are still a growing boy so you can still get taller." Olgok smiled widely. "While I was gone, I retrieved another test scroll to be sure all of the blocks have been removed. One more drop of blood is all I need from you, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded his agreement and placed the blood on the scroll before noticing that Korlag was talking to his assistant. 

"Are you certain?" Korlag asked in a hushed voice. "This is...unprecedented."

"What is it, Korlag?" Harry asked. 

"Well, Mr. Potter, it appears that you have inherited quite a bit of property as well as twenty vaults...and a lordship." Korlag explained. "None of these is unique by themselves but each of the founders of Hogwarts was awarded a barony at one point in their lives. You would inherit four baronies but they compound so instead of gaining the title of baron four times, the Ministry laws state that after the second, each one raises you to the next level."

Harry was confused and said so. 

Sirius stepped in to explain. "If I understand this correctly, one or two baronies makes you a baron but three makes you a viscount, and four makes you an earl - which is actually higher than me in rank as I'm a viscount."

"And at such an advanced position in society, this means you have a large voting block in the wizengamot, the ability to call a trial and you're automatically emancipated at age fifteen if you have no magical living blood relatives within a certain degree." Korlag elaborated. 

"What degree?" Sirius asked urgently. 

"Two generations. So that means your parents and grandparents must all have passed on." Korlag told them. "And that is true in this case."

Harry gaped at his estate manager. "So I'm an earl? I'm heir to Hogwarts and an earl?"

"And emancipated." Sirius reminded him. "You are to be treated as an adult from now on."

"The Earl of Inverness and people will call you Lord Potter or my lord." Korlag nodded solemnly as Olgok approached. 

"Well, Lord Potter, you are free of the blocks on your mind and magic. Your body is free of the potions." Olgok said formally. "The spell that repelled the owls has also been dissolved."

"That's wonderful! Thank you so much for your help." Harry said wistfully. He had the sudden feeling that this had been the key to better things for him. Even if he still had to fight evil, his life was about to get better. 

Olgok bowed to Harry. "My work is done so I will take my leave. Good day, Lord Potter."

Tukron stood as his grandmother also came to say her goodbyes. "The rest of this meeting is not for my ears, grandson. Lord Potter, be wary. You have been touched by prophecy once. It is not unusual for prophecies to come in groups."

Harry nodded solemnly and waited as they left the room. "Tell me about the properties, please. Are any of them unplottable?"

"Yes, Lord Potter; several." Korlag told him as he laid out a map of the British isles. "There are a number of castles in the UK that now belong to you but only the inhabitable ones are unplottable."

"Please just call me Harry, but castles? Like Hogwarts?" Harry grinned. "I love Hogwarts! Are any of them like that?"

"On the coast of Kent there is a private Hufflepuff estate that can only be accessed by boat or portkey. I believe it is a castle but I have never been there myself to verify this." Korlag pointed to the area near Margate. "Then there's Denbigh Friary in Wales but that was donated to the muggle government by Hufflepuff's magical descendants before your mother was born and designated as a historical landmark. The government graciously allows the Hufflepuff name to remain on the deed and you will be allowed to visit for free but the ownership paperwork is not valid in the muggle world."

Harry chuckled. "I wonder if the Hufflepuff ghost was a member of that friary."(note at the end)

"Possibly." Korlag was surprised by Harry's attitude. He'd expected the young man to be more impatient to get to the heart of the subject than to be so interested in history. "Quite a few of your castles are actually ruins that are located in national parks or reserves that now belong to the muggle queen. As with the friary, you and your family will be given free admission to visit but any muggle paperwork will not show your ownership."

Harry sighed. "Ok so I've got ruins of castles that belong to me but don't and I can visit but not live in them. And I've got a barely accessible estate that I don't know how to access. What properties are available for use?"

"Well, there is an island in Loch Ness with a castle." Korlag suggested. "It’s warded and protected from muggles by an illusion spell that projects the fabled Loch Ness Monster."

Harry's jaw dropped slightly. "No way! That's just an illusion spell?"

"Yes, indeed." Korlag laughed. "One of Rowena Ravenclaw's most spectacular ideas. It is said that she heard a muggle speak about a creature living in the Loch and went to find out the truth. She found and befriended the beast and created the illusion to memorialize it. I am unsure if the story is true as I have not been to the island."

Harry shared a look with his godfather. "Quite a prank."

The older man chuckled. "Ravenclaw's were always good at things like that."

"Not to mention catching out and explaining other people's pranks." Remus commented. 

Harry smiled thinking of Hermione's tendency towards that behavior. "Loch Ness is a definite possibility. Anything else?"

"There's the house in Godrick's Hollow and a manor house in Wiltshire. You also own properties internationally. There's an island in the Caribbean - bought by your grandparents - along with two townhouses. The one in London is a Potter legacy and the one in Paris is through the Ravenclaw inheritance." Korlag informed them. "A villa in Tuscany also comes from the Ravenclaw inheritance, and a manor house on Long Island, in New York where a Hufflepuff descendant settled also belongs to you."

Harry laughed in amazement. 

Dudley couldn't believe his ears. Harry was an earl and owned massive amounts of property. 

"Now for the money." Harry said, setting his teeth. "I accept everything from my dad's side of the family without question. But from my mum's side, I want you to combine the amount in the vault Dudley is due to inherit with the amount in the one I inherited and cut it down the middle. I get half and he gets half. It's only fair."

Dudley stared at his cousin in amazement and had to dab away a tear. All the times he'd been less than fair to Harry and here he was doing something like this. He resolved to never act that way again. 

"Very well, Harry." Korlag looked over the list of vaults and their contents before making several notations. "You will each be receiving around two point six million galleons and with the exchange rate as it stands that means twelve million pounds - give or take."

Dudley choked on air when he heard this and began coughing. Harry glanced at his cousin and hit his back a couple of times before getting back to business. 

"You also inherit the Potter vaults." Korlag reminded him. "That includes full access to your trust vault as well as your parents joint vault."

"I'm going to stop you there a moment. Please combine them." Harry commanded gently. 

Korlag nodded and made a note. "Your father had separated the family artifacts from the money when he gained control of the vaults. The vaults from your mother's side are not organized that way. Would you like us to do so?"

Harry nodded. "Please do - and make sure Dudley doesn't have any artifacts in his vault that could harm him."

"Very good. Any artifacts from Gryffindor are already among the Potter vaults, but a bequest from Sabelina Slytherin was ordered to be put aside until the affair was discovered and so it will finally be fulfilled." Korlag looked pleased with the idea that a long hidden mystery was solved. "There is a small vault with a chest and several artifacts inside." 

Harry considered that a moment. "I'll visit the vaults at a later date. Right now, we just need money for two new wardrobes."

Korlag's assistant handed a small pouch to Harry and Dudley as Korlag himself explained. "These are seals. Only people with extremely large accounts with us get them. When you buy something at a magical store you can apply the seal, which cannot be duplicated, and specify a vault number. We will transfer the funds within the hour."

"What if we wanted to go to a muggle store?" Dudley asked. 

"The Royal bank of Scotland works with us to coordinate and accommodate the magical citizens of the UK. Inside the pouch should also be a credit card." Korlag proudly informed them. "The bank was started by a muggleborn wizard for this very purpose."

"Wonderful!" Harry was overflowing with amazement and gratitude. "How do I access my unplottable properties?"

"There is a specific vault with labeled port-keys, Harry. Which would you like?" Korlag asked. 

Harry thought for a moment. "Wiltshire, London, and Loch Ness."

Korlag excused himself and returned a few minutes later with three metal loops. "Each has a different charm attached and the password is the charm. For instance, the tree will take you to Wiltshire when you say what kind of tree it is. Oh, the money is accessible when you need it but the lordship needs to be accepted with a signature on your actual birthday. So be sure to come by."

"I will. Thanks!" Harry chuckled. "I get the references. The clock tower goes to London and the sea creature goes to Loch Ness. Well, I can't tell you how grateful I am for your assistance in the matters of my health, well being, and inheritance. See you soon." He stood and reached out to shake Korlag's hand as the rest of his group began to move toward the door. 

Sirius transformed into Padfoot, startling Dudley a bit, and once outside the door of the bank, Harry glanced at the others in his group. "Dudley, you OK?"

Dudley only nodded in response. 

"Remus, Padfoot, I need something over here. Why don't we meet at the Leaky to talk?" He gestured to the nearest storefront. 

They parted and Harry led Dudley into the Magical Menagerie without incident. Nothing was said as Harry picked up treats for owls and dogs but, as Harry approached the area with live animals in cages, he heard his cousin comment that maybe he should've gone with the others and he chuckled to himself. Finally seeing the shopkeeper, Harry said hello and asked about a mouse for his pet snake. 

The shopkeeper was able to accommodate him by going to the cage and stunning one of the tiny animals. She put the mouse in a small box and asked for five sickles, nine knuts. To the woman's surprise, Harry pulled out his new seal and asked for the appropriate form. Her expression told Harry that she knew what this meant and this purchase was the first step into his new life as Lord Potter, Earl of Inverness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact - The Fat Friar ghost of Hufflepuff house is from the 10th century and Denbigh Friary is from the 12th century.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold+italics =parseltongue

**Chapter 4**

Walking out of the pet store, Harry felt eyes on him. "C'mon, Dudley."

They made their way quickly down the alley and into the Leaky Cauldron. A look around showed Remus standing beside a door. Harry tapped his cousin's arm and hurried through it. 

Sirius was inside and immediately pulled Harry into a hug. "Gods, pup. Moony told me everything." He kissed his godson's head. 

Harry smiled relishing in this simple contact. "I'm ok, Padfoot."

"He said you tried to owl me." Sirius frowned. "I didn't get any owls last night."

"Maybe you have a mail blocking spell too, Mr. Padfoot, sir." Dudley suggested carefully as he looked at the sandwiches on the table. 

Sirius glared at Harry's cousin. "That's Lord Black to you, kid." Catching sight of Harry's reproachful expression as he stepped back, he sighed. "Sirius at the very least. Harry's my godson. He and a precious few others are allowed to call me Padfoot."

Harry relaxed with a nod. This he could understand. "Good. Cuz we're going to need your help."

A slow smirk crept across the older man's face as he contemplated this. "With what, pup?"

"The only person who could've applied those spells and potions was Dumbledore." Harry said, shaking his head. "I can't even guess his reasons but it had to be him. Hagrid was the only other person to be alone with me before I was dropped off on the Dursleys doorstep and he wouldn't do anything to hurt me deliberately."

"He also doesn't have the skill." Remus commented raising his hands in surrender when Harry glared at him. "I have nothing against Hagrid. He's a great man but he was expelled before he could be taught the bulk of the curriculum. He wouldn't have the knowledge or skills to use these particular potions and spells."

Reluctantly, Harry had to admit that Remus was correct. "Anyway, there's two weeks before my birthday. I need to get some things done."

"Like what, Harry?" Remus asked, taking out a small notepad. 

"Some shopping to start with. My trunk is falling apart, so there's that." Harry paused to let Remus write that down. "I'll need a new wardrobe - because I can't be a lord and dress like a homeless person. Dudley needs one too because he's barely brought any of his own clothes, much less brought anything that would fit into our world."

"And I can't be palling around with a lord without looking the part." Dudley commented. 

"After shopping, I need to get us somewhere safe to figure things out and Dudley is coming with me so we need to find a place he can stay while I'm at Hogwarts." Harry looked at his uncles.

Remus had written everything down. "The Wiltshire estate is probably the best option for now. From there, we can easily visit your friends before the thirty-first and in August we can check out the others."

"We can go to Loch Ness on my birthday, stay for a couple of weeks and then use the London townhouse to get to the train on September first." Harry grinned. "Let's eat so we can start shopping after a quick stop at our room, Dudley."

Dudley had already bitten into a thick turkey sandwich so he only nodded in response.

Remus had a grim expression as he watched the boys eat. "Oh, we've taken care of the bill with Tom, Harry. He said to make sure you clear out after you meet with Dumbledore. I thought we were trying to avoid him though."

"I had to say something so I told him that Dumbledore is meeting me." Harry shrugged. "I figured that would calm him down the fastest. I also kind of figured that Dumbledore doesn't miss much. He'll likely know by now that I'm not at the Dursleys but he won't know what's up until we meet."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "We don't really have a plan yet. Do we?"

"No." Harry grimaced and shook his head. "No plan. Just a vague distrust of him. We need allies and bases of operations. If and when he shows up we have to pretend we still trust him - believe in him. He has to believe that - even though my situation has changed - I don't think he's to blame for it."

Sirius nodded decisively. "At least until we have a steady plan and safe haven. Alright, finish your lunch. Since I can't go shopping with you, I'll go back to headquarters and get a feel for whether Dumbledore knows what's going on."

"And I'll help you shop." Remus said, sitting down across from Dudley. 

Harry didn't like the idea of separating but he recognized the value of feeling out the opposition. "Alright, but I think we should meet back here in three hours."

Remus nodded. "Don't let him send you on a mission, Sirius. We have Harry to think about and our safety keeps him safe."

Sirius walked over to him and touched his shoulder lightly. "I know. I'll be back." He winked at his lover and aparated out.

The sandwiches were evenly distributed but Harry wasn't very hungry so he put his extra portion on Dudley's plate when he was full.

"I'm going to the room for something." Harry said. "I'll be right back."

Remus nodded and kept his seat. He knew Harry would be faster on his own than with him tagging along. 

Harry took a step out the door to the private room and sighed. He'd considered telling Remus about the snake in his rucksack but decided against it. He didn't know why but it seemed like a bad idea. He hurried over to the stairs and then up to the next floor. He knocked to let the snake hide if she wanted to, and then he used the key and went inside.

Closing the door behind him, he called out softly to her. _**"Hello? I have a meal for you."**_

The rucksack was still on the chair where he'd left it and when she heard his voice her head poked out. **_"You've returned! I feared that I had been forgotten, young ssspeaker."_**

Harry frowned. **_"I'm sorry it took so long but much has happened in that time. I have a lot to tell you...if you want to hear it."_**

**_"Perhaps when I have fully healed, young ssspeaker. You said you had sssomething for me to eat?"_ **

Harry chuckled and pulled the stunned rat from his pocket. **_"Alright. I don't fancy watching though so I'll leave it here on the floor and go. My cousin and I will return in a few more hours. We might be in a hurry so you'll probably want to be in the rucksack when we get here. I'll knock quickly three times before coming in._** " He demonstrated. 

**_"I understand, young ssspeaker. Thank you for my meal."_ **

**_"You're welcome."_** Harry said with a smile as he ducked out the door and down the hallway to find Remus and Dudley about to walk up the stairs. He stopped them with a hand gesture and said, "Ready when you are."

Remus took charge. "There's a luggage shop close by. Let's go there first."

Harry nodded and followed as his uncle turned toward the door. "I think I'll need either several trunks or one with lots of compartments. And Dudley should have his own trunk."

Remus nodded. "That's sensible. Here it is - Tertell's Traveling Trunks."

They went in and Harry let Remus talk to the man at the counter. "Hello. My friends are looking for trunks. Can you help us?"

The man was attractive and seemed to be around Remus' age. His hair was an even mixture of dark grey and black with a spray of white above his right eye where his cowlick sat.

"Of course, sir." He followed Remus back to where Harry and Dudley waited. "Hello, gents. My name is Garnett Tertell, Mr. Potter. Do you have anything in mind or shall I get a custom order form?" 

"I really need ten compartments, Mr. Tertell. Do you have anything like that?" Harry thought for a moment, mildly impressed that the owner himself was helping them. "I think four wardrobe compartments will do, with space for clothing, shoes, and accessories for each season. Three compartments should fit all my school supplies including potion ingredients and equipment as well as books for all subjects. I'd also like a specialized compartment for my quidditch gear. My pet supplies should have a space as well and then the last one could be a catchall." 

"The largest number of compartments in a pre-made trunk is eight. You'll need a custom order for ten." Garnett told Harry. "Perhaps it would be useful if you had a clothing trunk with five compartments including the one for your quidditch gear and then a school trunk with five compartments. Would that work?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. Especially since I can shrink them to go in a pocket. Now, Dudley's trunk will only need five compartments. The ones for his wardrobe and a catchall."

"Could I have six?" Dudley asked, seeming embarrassed when the others looked his way. "It's just... I think I'd quite like a pet once we've settled in somewhere and the supplies and all..."

Harry smiled at him. "Sure, Dud. Start thinking about what animal you want."

"Would you like any color in particular for your trunks?" Garnett asked. "Hogwarts house colors are a popular trend."

"Just black on the outside for both of mine and I'd like the inside of the clothing trunk to be silver and the supply trunk to be gold." Harry instructed Garnett. "Dudley, would you like anything in particular?"

"What's the colors for our relatives?" Dudley asked, not looking at the shopkeeper. 

"Blue, bronze, yellow, and black." Harry told him softly. 

"Black with bronze fittings outside and yellow and blue for the inside." Dudley told him.

Harry nodded solemnly and agreed. "Bronze fittings for mine as well, please."

The older man went into the back room and came out with three black trunks with bronze fittings. He opened one and drew his wand. "Here's a six compartment trunk. I'll charm the interior to the chosen colors now." A wave of his wand had the white interior changing colors to a pleasant blue with a yellow stripe on a diagonal. 

"Sorry, could you switch it around?" Dudley wanted to know. "I think I'd like it to be more yellow than blue please."

Garnett only nodded and made the changes before closing the trunk and moving on to the next. 

Harry watched as the lining of his trunk became a bright shiny gold. He winced and asked for the gold to be more of a champagne and the silver to be more of a grey.

When Garnett was finished both young men were more than satisfied with their trunks. "Mr. Potter, with the purchase of three trunks I am able to offer you a free rucksack!"

Harry followed the shopkeeper's gesture toward a rack full of the items. He chose a black leather one and slung it on his back. "Wonderful. Thank you. What charms can be applied?"

"All of Tertell's Traveling Trunks are charmed to be weather resistant as well as tamper proof. Your magical signature is all it takes to unlock them." Garnett went on. 

"What if the customer was a squib?" Harry asked, glancing at his cousin. 

"No problem at all, sir. There's a spelled panel we can apply with a corresponding ring that would serve as a key." Garnett explained. 

"That would be perfect. Please make that modification to the six compartment trunk." Harry said casually. 

Garnett nodded silently and went to work on the trunk. He cast several charms in rapid succession. "Standard weatherproofing charms and privacy charms - including one that will hide any magical content from muggle eyes. Now I'll fetch the panel that must be installed to respond to a key." He summoned it with his wand and it flew in, attaching itself to the frame. One small piece broke off and floated into Garnett's hand. With magic, he transformed it into a simple bronze ring and handed it to Dudley. "Once you put it on, I'll make it so only you can remove it."

Dudley slipped it onto his right middle finger and Garnett waved his wand again before moving on to Harry's trunks. 

Harry nodded idly as he watched the same spells be applied to his items. 

"Now, I'll apply the preservation charms to the area meant for your potion ingredients." Garnett commented as he activated the correct compartment. 

Harry was fascinated by the wand movements as the man worked his magic. 

"And now the air freshening charm for the quidditch compartment..." Garnett winked at Harry. "I hear you take your quidditch seriously, Mr. Potter. Seeker since your first year? Only missed one snitch due to foul play?"

Harry smirked with a nod. "Yeah. Flying is a real passion of mine."

"I flew for Ravenclaw in my fourth year." Garnett sounded wistful. "I didn't keep up with it after that because of classwork and OWLs."

"I really enjoy it." Harry said. "I plan to try my hardest not to let my grades slip but I don't think I'll have to quit quidditch to make it happen."

"Well, you're going to need a bit of wizard space to fit your broom in here." Garnett bit his lip and tapped the compartment on all four sides. "That ought to do it."

"Can you weatherproof the rucksack too, please, sir?" Harry asked, holding it out to the other man. 

"Already done. I cast it on my whole stock of rucksacks just this morning." Garnett explained. "The rucksack will be weatherproof for about two years whereas the trunks only hold the weatherproofing spell for half that and the first refresh of it is free. Smaller items keep the charms longer. That's why I cast the charm just before each trunk is bought."

Harry followed Garnett over to the counter and watched the man pull out three forms. He wrote down several notes on each one before handing them to Harry.

"Dudley has his own money." Harry said as he handed the correct form to his cousin. "How much do I owe you for the other two?"

Garnett wrote down a number on a scrap of parchment and handed it to Harry. 

Harry pulled out his seal and asked where to place it. Then Dudley did the same to Garnett's barely hidden shock.

"Will you be taking them with you or shall I arrange for shipping?" Garnett asked as he allowed them to place their seals.

"We'll take them. Thank you." Harry smiled and turned back to shrink the trunks. He then picked them up and put them in his new rucksack. 

As they left the store Dudley asked where they could go to get wizarding clothes. Harry led the way to Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Luckily she had plenty of time to take his and Dudley's measurements without an appointment, though it would take a day to make most of the clothes. 

"I can make one set of clothes for each of you now but the rest won't be ready before tomorrow afternoon." Madam Malkin offered. "Is there an address I can send them to?"

"I'll pick them up." Remus told her without hesitation. 

Harry agreed and soon he and his cousin were outfitted in fine fabric. Harry's black trousers and green shirt fit snugly on his now healthy body. Dudley looked smart in his tan trousers and blue shirt. Both of them also bought new coats before they left. 

"We should get some muggy clothes too, Harry. Don't you think?" Dudley asked, tucking his hands into the pockets of his new brown trench coat.

"I think you mean muggle, but yes. We'll want to blend in with both worlds, Dudley." Harry told him nodding. 

Remus offered to aparate them to a store he knew in muggle London and Harry took him up on it.

"This is going to feel really weird, Dudley." Harry warned. "Like being forced through a tight rubber tube. You might feel a bit nauseous when we arrive at the other end but it'll be ok."

They joined hands and disappeared. As predicted, Dudley hunched over and dry-heaved when they got to the arrival point but soon he got himself under control and an hour later, the three men walked into the Leaky Cauldron loaded down with shopping bags. 

"Who knew shopping was such a tiring activity, eh, Dudley?" Harry asked with a sigh as Tom came to meet them. 

"Dumbledore is waiting in the back room." He said quietly. 

"Alright, I'll be there soon." Harry nodded and then turned to his companions. "Let's put our things in our trunks and grab my rucksack from the room before we meet him."

Remus urged them to hurry but agreed that they should have all their things ready - just in case. 

"I'll go in first." Remus said. "I'll tell him you're on your way."

Harry hurried to the room and tapped the door three times in rapid succession before going in and speaking to Dudley and the snake. "Dudley, I'm going to need you to hold the rucksack with the snake. I also need you to play along with anything I might say to Dumbledore." He hurried to get his new trunk out and put his shopping bags and old trunk inside it. No time to sort things now. **_"I'm meeting with someone. I don't think he should know about you so you'll need to stay hidden. After this we'll be going somewhere safe - someplace you'll be able to move around."_**

**_"Yes, young ssspeaker. I will stay quietly in this sack but the lump in the pocket isss uncomfortable. Can it be moved?"_ **

**_"Of course!"_** Harry took out the small pouch of nundo spines, shrunk his trunk again and put it in his pocket before helping Dudley get the rucksack on. He frowned and looked around for a place to put it but Dudley plucked it from his hand and slipped it into his pocket. 

The boys went downstairs and into the room where they'd had lunch.

"Professor!" Harry greeted the older man. 

"How are you, Harry, my boy?" Dumbledore said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I've been worried about you but...you look well! Quite healthy, indeed! Now - why aren't you at your relatives house?"

"Could we order tea?" Harry frowned and as they waited, he told the true story of the dementor attack and his patronus spell. "And when they returned from looking for us, they kicked me out."

"But he'd saved me." Dudley spoke up as Tom brought in the tea tray. "Even though I didn't deserve it. So I left with him."

"And here we are." Harry shrugged and paused to pour a cup of tea for himself and offered to pour for the others. Only Dudley took him up on it. "Now that I've been to Gringotts and I spoke to my estate manager..."

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked; his eyes widened so slightly that Harry only noticed because he was looking for a reaction. 

"Yes, it's really strange, but apparently I have several vaults rather than just one and I'm heir to four baronies." Harry chuckled and affected a confused facial expression as he sat down. "I have to wonder why I'm only finding out about this now but at least that's a happy surprise. What has me concerned and actually quite angry is that when the goblins did a test on my blood they found blocks on my body..." He looked up at the man he'd trusted and abandoned some of the act. The candles on the table flared and knocked over Dudley's teacup. "And there were also blocks on my magic and my mind. I have to wonder who would want me to not reach my full health and mess with my mind. Why would anyone want to block my full magical potential?" Harry asked; his anger showed in his eyes as the table began to rattle. "Who could have fed me potions without my knowledge or consent?"

Wind that shouldn't have existed in a closed room with no windows disturbed the old man's beard as Dumbledore looked around at the effects of Harry's magic and gave a huffing sort of laugh before speaking. "Now, Harry, I'm sure that we will find this person and they will assure us that no harm was meant."

Remus cleared his throat and with a slight effort Harry calmed himself. 

"Well, at least now that they've been removed, I can get more out of my time at Hogwarts than I have so far." Harry said as if that was his only real concern. "And with some money, I've upgraded my wardrobe so there's that. Some good has come from this horrible violation of my person."

A tiny smirk formed under Dumbledore's beard as he suppressed his barely visible nerves. "I'm glad you're able to see that there is a greater good to achieve and it's better to focus on that than to dwell on the past." When Harry only stared at him, he went on. "Now let's get you both back to Privet drive. You've been gone far too long."

"No." Harry said, standing up. 

Dudley stood as well, taking a position to Harry's left. "My parents. They don't treat him decent. We're not going back."

Dumbledore eyed them and glanced at Remus as they were all startled by the door opening to admit Tom and the black shaggy dog form of Sirius Black. 

Sirius transformed before their eyes and looked around. "What did I miss?"

"Harry has refused to go back to Privet Drive and Dudley agreed." Remus smiled as he moved to his lover's side. "I believe Dumbledore was about to make a counter offer." 

"But he won't have a chance because I have a number of properties to inspect." Harry stated with a barely noticeable signal to the others. "They are unplottable and warded to the teeth so please don't worry about me, Professor."

"Harry, we must talk about this!" Dumbledore looked confused as the four younger men gathered and grabbed onto a metal ring adorned with an oak tree. "Why not stay at headquarters with your godfather? Several of the Weasleys will be there also."

"I don't know. I don't think they care much about me. I didn't get any letters from them while I was at my aunt and uncle's house." Harry commented, deciding to see what the old man would say.

"Don't be silly, Harry. I told them not to bother you." Dumbledore shook his head. "You had so much on your mind when you left school and I thought you could do with some peace and quiet."

"Interesting. I'm curious. Did Sirius need peace and quiet too?" Harry asked. "Last night?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, my boy. Last night?" Dumbledore tapped his chin absently. "Last night Sirius was at headquarters. A meeting was held...The Order of the Phoenix - of which he is a member - is a group of people who fight Voldemort. We always block owls during meetings."

"Well, I'll be going with Harry, Albus." Sirius said firmly. "Remus and I are taking a leave from the Order and staying with Harry to keep him safe before he goes back to Hogwarts."

Dumbledore was shocked. "But I have missions for Remus! You must stay hidden! Things must be done! Voldemort is mobilizing!"

"Others can go on your missions. Harry needs us for now." Sirius insisted nodding to his godson. "And I'll be well hidden with him."

"But, Harry!?" Dumbledore sputtered. 

"Did I forget to mention that the four baronies compound according to law, professor?" Harry asked lightly. "I am to receive the title of Earl upon my birthday which will immediately emancipate me. I will be in control of my own life soon." Harry smiled and quickly made sure everyone was touching the portkey. "We'll be in touch, sir. Oak tree!"

The tug at his navel was strong and the whole group landed on the lawn of a beautiful manor house. Harry stood and looked around. In one direction the tree-lined driveway extended to a large wrought iron gate. A lovely fountain sat on an island in the center of the circular drive but on second glance the drive was not circular at all... it was shaped like a rather large capital letter P.

"Potter Grove... I haven't been here since we were children, Moony." Sirius whispered in a reverent tone. 

Dudley shivered and nudged Harry's arm as Remus nodded. They could tell that the older men were reliving a piece of their past.

"Yes, Dudley." Harry said quietly as he turned to face the house. "Let's go to the door."

Said door was large and golden brown with a shiny gold lion's head door knocker. In the lion's teeth was a thick yellowish brown ring that was sculpted into a snake whose head rested opposite its tail. 

As Harry's hand came into contact with it, the snake came to life and wrapped around his wrist. **_"Who are you to come to thissss slumbering houssse?"_**

 ** _"I am the rightful owner of this house and property."_** Harry said firmly though he was surprised. 

**_"You ssspeak!?"_** The snake also seemed shocked. 

Harry answered. ** _"I do."_**

 ** _"Are you really the owner?"_ **The snake asked looking at him with interest. His tongue flicked out at Harry and he continued. **_"Do you have the Potter blood?"_**

 ** _"You may taste, as long as you are not venomous."_ **Harry offered. 

_**"My venom isss not harmful to the Potter bloodline."** _The snake sounded offended by the very idea. 

Harry nodded. **_"Alright. Then I have nothing to worry about, but let me warn my companions. They will worry otherwise."_**

**_"Thisss isss acceptable, ssspeaker."_ **

Harry turned to face the others. "The snake needs to test my blood. He's going to bite me but his venom doesn't affect the Potter bloodline so don't panic or interfere. If I don't allow it we won't be allowed in."

Remus nodded but looked worried. Sirius frowned but didn't object. Dudley bit his lip silently. 

Harry spoke to the snake again. _**"Go ahead."**_

The snake bit Harry's wrist and changed color with a sudden wave of magic. Instead of the brownish metal, he now appeared to be a bright and shiny silver.

 ** _"In your blood I have tasted truth, young master. You are of Potter blood and have come to claim your birthright. You know your family secretsss and I can help you keep them."_** The silver snake said.

 ** _"What do you mean?"_** Harry asked.

 ** _"I wasss given long ago to the lion by the female ssserpent. Embedded in me are ssseveral spellsss to protect thoughtsss and lessen the effects of nightmaresss."_** The snake explained. ** _"When I was hung on the door, my spellsss were added to the wardsss of the house. I guard all in residence."_**

Harry stared at the silver snake. ** _"That's going to come in handy. Do you have a name?"_**

**_"Sssigmund."_ **

**_"Well, thank you, Sigmund."_ **Harry said as he helped the snake get back into place on the door knocker.

Once the snake was dormant again, the door swung open slowly. 

Harry turned to the others. "Shall we?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sirius stared at Harry. "Are you kidding? Something happened with that snake on the door and you're not planning on telling us what?"

Harry smirked sheepishly. "Ok. I'll explain." Sirius and Remus looked relieved but their faces fell when Harry pointed to the opening and continued. "Inside."

Dudley went in directly after Harry and began looking at everything. 

The first thing they saw was a beautiful piano situated under a grand staircase that led to a hallway which overlooked the entry. Overhead was a wrought iron chandelier. Surrounding the piano and staircase was a semicircle of windows showing a courtyard that contained a flower garden and small waterfall. To either side there was a sitting room with couches and armchairs in small groupings.

Sirius and Remus were able to point things out for their younger companions. 

"The staircase leads to the first level of the library with a secret entrance to the family wing." Sirius said gesturing in that direction with a nostalgic smirk. "The public sitting rooms are right off the foyer - through the arches."

"James preferred this one while the three of us visited during holidays from school." Remus nodded with a sigh, his eyes went to a point above and to Harry's right. "The head Potter elf was named..."

"Ziva is being so happy to see Master James' old friends!" A soft feminine voice said. "But Ziva is being most happy to meet Master Harry again!"

Harry whirled around to see the diminutive creature. He'd been expecting an ugly old elf but was met with a sweet smile on a small smooth face. One of her ears was slightly higher than the other and her eyes were mint green. Her nose was on the small side when compared with the other elves he'd met. Her uniform was an adorable mix of fabrics and seemed to be made from curtains and fashioned into a plain dress with a pinafore apron. 

"Oh my!" She squeaked and tugged her ear lightly. "You is being my Master Harry, for certainly!"

Harry nodded as he approached her. She curtsied but he just smiled and knelt to be at her level. "You've been with my family for a long time?"

Ziva nodded, her ears flapping. "Oh, yes, Master Harry! I is serving the Potter family for several tens of years! You is looking like your father! So much! Ziva is missing Master James!"

"Did you meet my mother?" Harry asked softly.

"Mistress Lily was lovely! Very kind she was to Ziva!" The elf smiled. "You is being here to stay, Master Harry?"

He nodded slowly. "Sort of. I'm still in school, Ziva, but I will be here or at one of our other properties during the holidays. Will you be taking care of all the properties I now own? I'm sorry. I'm still so unsure of how this all works."

"Ziva is head of Potter elves. I is taking care of all things here and in London." Ziva informed him. "The island has its own team of elves and Master James commanded that Ziva not visit Godric's Hollow after the secrecy spell was cast. Does Master Harry wish Ziva to go back and fix things there?"

"No!" Harry tried with difficulty to swallow the lump in his throat. "Not just yet, Ziva. We have other things to think about for now. For instance, I've inherited several properties that I must inspect. This is only my first stop and we will be here until my birthday."

Ziva nodded sadly. "Ziva will miss Master Harry when he is leaving, but Ziva will care for you and your guests while you are here. Would Master Harry be liking anything?"

"Tea, please." Harry said quietly. "Lemon in mine."

The sweet little elf nodded once. "Ziva will be bringing milk and sugar for Mister Moony and lemon for Master and Lord Sirius. Who is being the other boy, Master Harry?"

"He's my cousin on my mum's side. His name is Dudley." Harry explained. "He likes milk and sugar in his tea."

"Ziva will be right back, Master Harry!" She said before popping out of the room. 

"Moony, which sitting room did you say my dad liked best?" Harry asked softly. 

Rather than speak, Remus led the way. "See how the four armchairs are positioned? James felt like this room let us all see each other comfortably while we talked and the low table was perfect for doing our holiday homework."

Harry smiled picturing the scene. "So the snake on the door."

Everyone sat and looked at Harry as he spoke.

"His name is Sigmund and he was a gift from Sabelina Slytherin to Godric Gryffindor. He's been passed down through the years as part of the protections here." He explained the conversation he had with the snake. 

Remus nodded slowly. "This explains so much! My nightmares were always less violent here."

Sirius grimaced but nodded. "Mine too."

Remus tapped his lips absently. "You know, in ancient Germanic, the name Sigmund actually means victorious defender."

Harry had never thought much about the meanings of names. Perhaps it was time to start. 

Tea arrived and Ziva was serving. "Ziva has added a plate of the chocolate biscuits Mister Moony enjoys."

"Thank you, Ziva. That's all for now, but we will call you when we wish to see our rooms." Harry said.

"Ziva will ready them, Master Harry!" She popped off to attend to her duties. 

Harry wandered the room restlessly with a biscuit in hand. "The piano...did either of my parents play?"

"No." Sirius said. "But your grandmother did."

Remus smiled. "Yes. James never got the hang of it though she tried to teach him."

"Aunt Petunia tried to make Dudley learn." Harry smirked. "Remember?"

Dudley snorted. "I had no interest and no talent."

"True." Harry chuckled. "Well, I'd like to see my room, so I'll leave you for the moment. I'll ask Ziva to set a time for dinner and see you then." He picked up the rucksack Dudley had been carrying and stepped into the foyer. He only glanced into the other sitting room before calling Ziva. "Please lead me to my room and let us know what time dinner will be ready."

Ziva was only too happy to show him the secret passage from the library to the family wing of the manor. When they arrived at his room the door opened and Harry was met with new elf faces.

He looked at them and smiled as he set the rucksack on the large sleigh bed. "Hello! I'm..."

"Ziva be presenting our new master. Master Harry is to be staying here for two weeks." She said interrupting Harry. "Bisbee and Tilly work the gardens and Kipsey, Landy, and Ziva care for the houses."

"It's wonderful to meet you all." Harry told the small creatures. "Ziva, I'd like to sort my things and rest a while."

She sent the others back to their duties and stayed to help so he gave her his trunk and the new rucksack but kept the older rucksack with him.

With a snap of her fingers the trunk was its normal size. Another snap emptied the trunk and Harry explained that the newer trunks and rucksack were to be used instead of the older ones and his new wardrobe would be here tomorrow. 

She made quick work of sorting his belongings and put all his school supplies in the right compartments. Then she placed the muggle clothing into the dresser and the quidditch gear into its special compartment. 

"I'll take care of the rucksacks myself. Uhm, I have a snowy owl named Hedwig. I expect her to find her way here soon." Harry instructed the elf. "Please let me know if she arrives?"

"Ziva will open owl wards and fetch perch for your Hedwig, Master Harry." She squeaked before popping out of the room. 

As soon as she came back with the perch and placed it beside his desk with sticking and cleaning charms, he asked for a glass of water and some time alone. 

"Of course, Master Harry! Dinner will be ready at six pm. Ziva will come to show you the way to the dining room." With that she conjured his glass of water and left.

It was so much to take in! He listened to the silence for a moment, sipping his water but soon gave in to the feelings overwhelming him. Within forty-eight hours he'd gone from being a poor orphaned boy to a rich titled nobleman - from unloved, abused and abandoned to loved and supported - from blissfully ignorant to unpleasantly aware.

Without warning everything he'd learned about himself piled on top of his already stressed brain and he cried. Suddenly he felt movement on the bed beside him and looked up. 

**_"What isss wrong, young ssspeaker?"_** The snake asked sympathetically as she arranged her coils in a semicircle around him.

_**"I don't really know."**_ Harry said quietly. He took a deep shuddering breath and used the short sleeves of his shirt to dry his eyes. ** _"I've never felt like this before. I'm angry and confused and frustrated and sad. I don't know what to do."_**

**_"You sssaid you wanted to tell me a ssstory, young ssspeaker. Perhapsss I can help you detangle the knot if I can sssee the threadsss."_** Her voice seemed soothing somehow. 

Harry nodded and began to speak. **_"After my parents were killed, I was raised by muggles - the kind of muggles who give them a bad name. They hated anything that wasn't 'normal'. They hated me and they hated magic."_**

**_"Thisss isss terrible to hear, young ssspeaker. I am saddened by thisss."_ **

**_"For the past four years, I've been attending magic school and the man who killed my parents has attempted to come back to wizarding Britain. The first two years he failed due to efforts by me and a few others. The third year he kind of took a break but this year... he succeeded."_ **Harry explained. 

**_"Oh dear!"_** She said sounding concerned. 

Harry sighed. _**"He's back and I expected him to kill me but when he had me alone, all he did was talk. I'm so confused. He told me he's not the danger to me. He says that someone else is and that person is someone I've trusted for years."**_

**_"I sssee."_** She said nodding her head. **_"Do you trust them ssstill?"_**

Harry shook his head and filled her in on the discoveries he'd made at Gringotts. **_"At best, he kept my paternal heritage from me and didn't know the rest. At worst, he's sabotaged my health, magic, and well being as well as stealing my money and deceiving the wizarding world about his trustworthiness."_**

**_"I can understand why that confuses you, young ssspeaker."_ **She came closer and laid her head on his shoulder. 

**_"Then to top it all off, there's a boy at school who has always hated me...or at least, he's always been antagonistic toward me, and he started being nice at the very end of the year."_** Harry shrugged. **_"He wanted to tell me something about his family members that I didn't know and offered me a favor in return for keeping his family name out of any statements I might make to the Ministry or the press."_**

There was a quiet moment as the snake considered what to say. **_"I will go backwardss, young ssspeaker."_ **She said. **_"The boy soundsss sincerely concerned about his family's welfare. Perhapsss he is growing up and realizes he's been foolish to make you an enemy?"_**

Harry thought about this for a moment and realized that it made some sense. Before he could reply, she continued. 

**_"The man you no longer trust could be either of the options that you suppose or he could be worse. You will not know for certain unless you look into the suggestions made by the man you believe to have killed your parents."_** The snake blinked at him. **_"Being angry will get you nowhere but it does no harm to be curious about the history of the wizarding world, young ssspeaker."_**

Harry nodded thoughtfully. 

**_"Now, why are you sad?"_** She asked. 

**_"I feel so alone in all this. With my family taken from me and the man I no longer trust possibly against me..."_** Harry whispered turning to look out the window. **_"If I tell my friends what's going through my head, they'll think I'm mental or at least not believe me. And now I've got my cousin to protect and worry about! I need help but I don't know where to go or who to ask!"_**

**_"If there isss nobody you can trust, perhapss the boy who owesss you a favor could help in sssome way?"_ **She suggested carefully. 

Harry pictured Draco's face and considered this as the snake began to wander the room. 

She looked out the balcony doors and attempted to use the handle to open it until Harry stood up and opened the doors for her. 

**_"I guess some fresh air might help clear my mind a bit."_** Harry said. 

**_"The gardens are lovely, young ssspeaker. I wish to wander them._** " The snake told him.

**_"Well sure!"_** Harry said as he noticed a bird flying toward the house. Hoping it might be Hedwig, he made a request of the snake. **_"I'll join you in a bit. Please don't harm my family or my elves if you come across them?"_**

**_"Of course, young ssspeaker. You have done much for me. I would not repay you with sssuch betrayal."_ **She said as she slithered down the trellis.

Hedwig flew into the room and landed on her new perch. 

"Hello, girl." Harry said quietly as he reached out to stroke her feathers. 

She nipped at him and seemed to glare.

"I'm sorry I left you behind." Harry told her. "It wasn't planned and I have your cage. We have many properties for you to explore now. This perch is yours too, Hedwig, and I'll put one in every bedroom I stay in. I promise!"

He chuckled as she hopped onto his shoulder to nuzzle him before hopping back to the perch and settling down. 

"You relax and get settled in. I'm going for a walk." He told her as he closed the door after himself. 

"Harry!" Dudley called out from down the hall. "I didn't have the chance to give you this when we got here."

"The nundu spikes!" Harry said shaking his head as he accepted the pouch. "Thanks for reminding me. I'm going for a walk in the garden with the snake. Want to join?"

"Nah. I'm knackered. See you when it's time for dinner." Dudley waved and went into a room nearby. 

Harry smiled and tucked the pouch into his pocket before hurrying to meet his snake friend. 

"Bisbee? Tilly?" Harry called as he realized he didn't know where to go. When they arrived, he continued. "I'd like to see the part of the gardens that I see from my room. Could one of you lead me there? Oh, and if you see a snake while you're working the garden, please call me. I can talk to them."

Bisbee bowed and popped away but Tilly smiled at him. "Yes, Master Harry! You be following!"

Tilly was extremely helpful. She directed him accurately and informed him about many of the plants that grow in the grove. "The citrus trees are in greenhouses while the forest is made up of evergreen trees - all the way to the hedge fence which is made up of holly and hawthorn and yew."

"Thank you, Tilly." Harry told her. "I'd like to walk a bit by myself."

She nodded and hung back while he strolled down the path. 

Harry felt a light breeze and turned into it with a smile, allowing it to ruffle his hair. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

**_"Hello, young ssspeaker."_ **The snake said poking her head out of the underbrush.

**_"Ah! I found you without even trying!"_** Harry mused. _**"So, when I healed you, you said you'd like to stay with me to gain strength before attempting to go home ...may I ask? How are you feeling?"**_

_**"Thank you, young ssspeaker. I am well. Well enough that I have felt a connection with my home."**_ She told him heading slowly towards the nearest border of the estate.

_**"Oh?"**_ Harry asked already missing her. **_"Is it close by? Can I help you get there?"_**

She stopped and turned to face him. **_"You wish to help me?"_**

Harry nodded. 

She climbed his leg, quickly bringing her head up to meet his eyes. **_"You know that I and a group of humansss were hunting the spiked feline creature..."_**

Harry nodded again. 

**_"I will be welcomed mossst warmly if I bring the spikesss we were sssent for."_** The snake hissed. 

Harry knew that nundu spikes were used in many different types of potions but the ones that came to mind were all dark. Should he give her the pouch of spikes? **_"I never asked you."_** Harry procrastinated. **_"Do you have a human? Are they waiting for you?"_**

She appeared to blink. **_"I do have a human that is waiting. He isss likely impatient and worried."_**

Harry felt a shiver travel up his spine. **_"If I don't give you the spikes..."_**

**_"He will only send more men to hunt another of the spiked felinesss."_** She informed him. **_"You have no use for the spikesss. Won't you ssspare the huntersss?"_**

Harry frowned. On the surface, it seemed like a few simple statements but was it truth or manipulation. He snorted as suspicion crept up his chest with her. If her human was who Harry now thought it was, the answer to his question was both. ** _"The pouch is in my pocket."_**

Confirming his suspicions, she dipped her tail into his pocket as she whispered. ** _"Thank you, Harry Potter."_**

**_"What does he want them for, Nagini!"_** Harry ground his teeth as she slithered into the hedge. **_"Nagini!"_**

**_"I sssense my master."_** She said as she slithered into the hedge. **_"I will sssee you again sssoon, Harry Potter."_**

Harry chased her and pulled apart the branches of the hedge only to see a familiar blonde instead of the snake. He became mesmerized by the pale skin and golden hair that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight as the person in question sunbathed beside a built-in pool. 

Harry's mouth went dry and he backed out of the greenery staggering down the path to a stone bench.

"Hiya, pup." Sirius said coming up on his left. 

"Harry?" Remus asked getting worried. "Are you alright?"

Harry made a gesture toward the hedge that he'd messed up so the older men shared a look and wordlessly decided Sirius would check it out. 

Harry watched his godfather approach the damaged hedge and pull the branches apart before he grinned. 

"Nothing to worry about, Moony." He chuckled shaking his head. "Just a case of puberty hormones at work. My dear cousin seems to be Potter Grove's neighbor."

Remus made a noise of understanding. "Can I assume he's in some state of undress?"

"Yes. But it's not just that, Padfoot." Harry sighed. "There's something I didn't tell you."

Sirius sat beside him and waited. 

"When Dudley and I were leaving Privet drive, we came across a dead body and a snake." He looked up at his godfather. "You know - I'm sure I or someone else told you - I'm a parselmouth. I speak to snakes."

Sirius nodded, grimly certain he wasn't going to like hearing this.

"I spoke to the snake and asked Dudley to check the body." Harry explained. "The snake was injured and I healed it. The body provided some money - which got us to London - and a small pouch of nundu spikes. His wand had broken and I didn't recognize his face. It was dark and I didn't pay attention to the markings on the snake. She came with us to the Leaky Cauldron and stayed in my rucksack the whole time."

The older men were stunned by his words but continued to listen. 

"When we were alone in my room, the snake came out and we talked a bit. After our talk, she wanted to go outside and wander the garden so I let her out and followed." Harry said, chagrin evident in his voice. "When we met up outside, I asked about her health and she told me she was strong enough to sense her home and wanted to go...she asked about the spikes and since they were in my pocket I told her. She took them and left through that hedge."

"It was his snake." Remus concluded. "Wasn't it, cub?"

Harry sighed and nodded. "After that shock, I tried to chase her through the hedge but lost sight of her when..."

"When you caught a glimpse of the Malfoy boy sunbathing." Sirius smirked, one eyebrow raised in amusement. 

Harry blushed but nodded.

Sirius and Remus shared another look before cracking up. 

"The way I see it, cub, if she was going to hurt you, she would've done it when she had you alone. I don't know what the spikes were for but we have other things to worry about for the moment." Remus reminded him. "It's almost dinnertime and you should wake Dudley."

Harry agreed. If he let his cousin miss dinner he'd be annoyed. As he knocked on the door to Dudley's room, Harry didn't expect it to swing open. "Dudley?"

"Here, Harry. I decided last second to write to mum. Can your owl take it to her?" Dudley asked holding it out hesitantly. 

Harry snorted as he took it. "Of course. We'll go to my room on the way to dinner. By the way, I told Sirius and Remus about the snake...after she left."

"Oh." Dudley said, standing up. "Good. What did they say?"

"That I shouldn't worry about it until she turns up because she would've attacked already if it had been her intention." Harry led the way to his room and immediately walked over to Hedwig's perch. "Hi girl. When you're feeling up to it, could you take this Surrey?"

She looked at him skeptically. 

"We'll work on another way for Dudley to keep in touch with his mum but for now, he needs your help." Harry spoke softly to her and stroked her chest.

She looked over at Dudley and then back at Harry. Her feathers ruffled and she hid her face under a wing.

Harry left the letter on his desk and exited the room. "C'mon. I'll ask her again later. Ziva?"

"How can Ziva be helping Master Harry?" She asked with a curtsey.

Harry bit his lip. "Well, to start with...the curtsey was nice the first time but you needn't be so formal, Ziva. Truly."

She tilted her head. "As you wish, Master Harry."

"What I actually called you for, was an escort to the dining room." He grinned at the elf.

"Of course, Master Harry!" She squeaked before turning around to lead the way.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Dinner was lovely - simple fare and good company. The conversation left a bit to be desired, though. 

"I think we should tell Dumbledore about the body and possibly the snake as well." Remus told the others. 

"What? Why?" Harry asked startled.

"Well, for one thing, we might find out who the body was - with the help of the Order." Remus said. 

"We know he was a Death Eater. We know he was with Nagini and hunting a nundu - what else do we need to know?" Harry asked. "Now that you mention it... I do have some questions."

Remus nodded for him to continue. 

"What is the Order of the Phoenix? What do they do?" Harry asked. "What do they want?"

Sirius and Remus looked conflicted but then Remus answered. "The Order of the Phoenix was formed by Albus Dumbledore during the first wizarding war with Voldemort. We are simply a group of people who fight Voldemort because he's a psychopath who kills people in cold blood."

"He kills muggles in cold blood - to be specific." Sirius frowned at his lover. "Muggleborn and halfblood witches and wizards are usually given a choice to join his cause or die...if he notices them at all."

"Purebloods either join him willingly or are coerced in some way. Or they join the order like the Weasleys." Remus took up the topic. "You see, Harry, Voldemort wants to preserve wizarding traditions and keep the separation of wizarding culture from muggles but he kills those who disagree with him."

Harry thought about that for a moment. "Ok. It's bad that he kills people but why is it bad to want muggle culture to be kept separate from wizarding culture?"

The two older men stared at him.

"Wizarding culture is incredibly outdated when compared with muggle versions of the same design." Remus said in confusion.

"That's true for many things, but a lot of the so-called outdated things are better for the environment as well as our civilization as a whole." Harry explained. "Cars and motorcycles are great ways for muggles to get around but they give off carbon monoxide and that eats away at the ozone layer which protects all beings on Earth from the harmful rays of the sun. They wish they could travel from one point to another instantly but they don't know magic exists and wouldn't be able to use it if they did. There's good and bad in everything, Remus."

"Owls are a reliable way to send letters between magical people and the muggles have their post service but those are slow." Dudley chimed in. "The newest thing in muggle communication is email and cell phones but there's a downside with them too because they rely on electronics and networks."

"Muggles have television and movies while wizards have pictures that move but you can't hear the subjects." Harry pointed out. "Portraits are close to that but they're not able to be fictional and many muggles would love to have a talking portrait of their loved ones after they've moved on but I've heard stories of talking portraits that are horrible to have hanging around."

"Like my dear mother..." Sirius grumbled. 

Remus sighed. He could see what Harry was saying but still thought the idea was too conservative for the era in which they lived. 

"Some aspects of wizarding culture are far ahead of muggles. Like recognition of same sex marriage and allowing them to adopt children." Harry pointed out. 

"Those things depend entirely on the existence of the fertility spell, Harry. If not for that, the wizarding world would be just as against same sex couples." Remus countered. "Before a spell-crafter by the name of Sable Sands created the spell that transfigures an egg into its male equivalent and vice versa all the LGBTQ couples had to hide. They had to marry the opposite sex to keep procreating and act straight. If you were lucky you might find someone who had a tolerance for your preference and didn't mind you having a lover on the side but it wasn't the norm."

"The transgender people also had to craft the potion that gives them their true form." Sirius pointed out. "There was massive controversy over it."

"Muggles have hormone treatments that do the same thing but it takes time and you can never stop the treatments." Dudley told them. "It's very controversial as well."

"The transgender community actually had an easier time getting their rights because they lived as they felt until a certain age when they - not their parent or guardian - made the choice of whether to take the sex change potion." Remus commented. 

"What age?" Harry wanted to know. 

"Eleven." Remus told him. "Due to the nature of their condition, it was deemed that the age they are trusted to be away from home for the school year is also old enough to judge whether they wish to remain their original gender or switch."

"They're given plenty of information and counseling throughout the process of deciding. " Sirius chimed in. "The families of the potential transgender kids are investigated to be sure they are safe during the holidays."

Harry frowned. "Sounds like they get more consideration than the muggleborn kids or halfblood kids raised in the muggle world."

Harry met the gaze of each of his companions and he could see they were thinking about his experience. That sounded like something that needed to change if he had anything to say about it. "I'm going to bed. Tomorrow we need to see where Ron and his family stand. You know where I do. Remus, I don't trust Dumbledore or his Order - beyond you two. Please respect my wishes?" He waited for a nod from his father's old friend before leaving the room. 

When he arrived at his bedroom, Harry was met by Ziva. "Master Harry, sir. Ziva has mended the muggle clothing you had with you. Ziva thought perhaps they was meant to be sleepytime clothes since they wasn't the right size."

Harry sighed. "You did well, Ziva. Please wake us at nine." 

The elf smiled at his praise and left.

"Hedwig, please, won't you deliver that letter for Dudley?" Harry asked softly as he approached her perch. "By the time you get back, I'll have one for Ron and you can socialize with Pigwidgeon for a while."

Hedwig turned her head around almost all the way and then back again. Harry stroked her chest until she ruffled her feathers and gave in, plucking the letter from where it sat on Harry's desk and flying out the balcony doors which still stood open. Reminded of Nagini's trickery, Harry stalked over to the doors and closed them only to realize Hedwig wouldn't be able to get back in by herself. Sighing he opened a window that seemed conveniently placed for owl entry since it was rather high up on the wall. 

It was getting late, so he quickly penned a warning to his redheaded friend that he was planning to drop by tomorrow afternoon and put it on his desk where Dudley's letter had stood. 

That finished, Harry got dressed in the sleep shirt that was three sizes too big and fit like a dress. "At least its not ripped anymore." He said to himself. "I probably should've picked out new pajamas when I got the rest of my wardrobe."

He got into the bed and pulled the light summer blanket over himself just as Hedwig returned. She landed on her perch and took a treat as well as a drink of water before grabbing Harry's letter and taking off again. She seemed to pay no attention as Harry called after her an appreciative 'thanks, girl'.

It felt strange sleeping in this large sleigh bed instead of the twin bed at the Dursley house or the curtained four poster at Hogwarts so he tossed and turned a bit before finally calming down enough to sleep.

The next morning dawned early and Harry wasn't prepared for the wakeup call Ziva gave him. 

Harry awoke to the drapes being drawn open and sunshine overwhelming his senses. He threw the covers over his head and became shocked when they disappeared. He sat up and stared at the little elf. "Ziva? What's going on?"

She looked at him with confusion. "Ziva wake you at nine, Master Harry. Did Ziva do wrong?"

Harry sighed and fell back into the pillows with a tired chuckle. "In the future, I'd prefer a slightly less startling wakeup."

Ziva giggled. "Ziva is being sorry, Master Harry. I is assuming that you took after Master James but in this aspect you is being like Mistress Lily."

Harry grinned as he relaxed a bit more. "My dad was difficult in the mornings?"

"Ziva had to dump cold water on him the morning of his wedding to Lily." Sirius said from the hallway, having heard Harry's alarmed voice. 

"Breakfast will be served in thirty minutes, Master Harry." Ziva giggled again before popping out. 

"I'll get dressed, Padfoot. Can you tell Dudley Hedwig delivered his letter to Aunt Petunia? And about breakfast?" Harry asked as he stood up. 

Sirius nodded and closed the door behind him.

Harry smiled and shook his head, his hair flopping every which way. "Looks like I need a haircut too." He muttered as he rolled out of bed and stretched before looking in the mirror. Resolving to ask Molly Weasley to do the honors, he pulled on the clothes he'd worn the day before and hurried to meet the others. When he arrived, he didn't see Remus so he asked about him.

"He went to muggle London for a few things and said he'll be pickin' up our clothes on the way back." Dudley told him between bites of food.

"Great. Thanks, Dudley." Harry nodded bemusedly. "Siri?"

Sirius looked at him with curiosity. "What can I help you with, cub?"

"Lots." Harry sighed. "There's so much I don't know about the wizarding world and how it works."

"Why don't you hire a tutor?" Sirius asked. "Or, I suppose I can try and answer any questions you might have. Remus would probably also be able to help."

"Great idea." Harry grinned. "Ok, so..."

"Where do you want to start?" Sirius asked. 

Harry shrugged and began to list things he'd always wondered about. "I don't know. Why do muggleborn kids get thrown into the deep end rather than properly taught the basics in first year? Why do pureblood kids not learn about muggles and muggleborn kids before they're thrown together in first year? Why do we celebrate Christmas at Hogwarts when the Christians wanted to kill witches in the dark ages?"

Sirius stared at his godson. 

"What are the wizarding traditions Voldemort wants to protect? What's the real difference between light and dark magic?" Harry continued in a milder tone seeing that Sirius was a bit shocked. "Why are there still lordships in this day and age? What am I supposed to do as an Earl?"

"That's..." Dudley was wide eyed. "That's a lot of questions, Harry."

"All things we're not taught at Hogwarts, Dud." Harry said grimly before correcting himself. "Dudley - sorry ... And there's more where they came from."

Sirius took a deep breath and brought his hands up to scrub his face. "I can honestly say that I've never really thought about the first three things you asked, Harry, but I can help with the second set of questions. Voldemort wants to bring back the pagan religion. Samhain in place of Halloween. Yule instead of Christmas. That sort of thing. There are rituals that are performed on certain dates of the year that remind us of the old ways and refresh the magic in the world. Some of them harness light magic but a few use the dark. The difference between them is a combination of the power and intention behind the spell. There are even some pagan rituals that try to tap into wild magic like the elements."

"Elemental magic..." Harry nodded slowly as he processed this. He would need to visit the library...both here and at Hogwarts. "The lordships and my responsibilities?" He asked quietly. 

"Well, kiddo, I'm not really sure why but I'm guessing that it's just one of the traditions that we've kept going." Sirius smiled at him. "One of those old fashioned things that doesn't serve much purpose these days except to separate classes. There aren't many responsibilities for us lords anymore. It's really just a social status in the muggle world but you'll have to vote in the wizengamut and participate in a certain number of trials as well as a few procedural sessions. You'll receive a letter from the Queen, once it's official, and likely a visit from her solicitor so you should consult with yours."

Harry sighed and nodded. He really should stop being surprised that he had things that most of his friends didn't. He hadn't even finished breakfast and yet he felt like going back to bed.

"You wouldn't know who my solicitor is would you?" Harry asked, resignation palpable in his voice. 

Sirius grinned sympathetically. "The firm that handles my legal affairs happens to be the same one that tends to yours. I've already contacted them. Someone will owl you in the next few days."

Relief flowed through Harry. "Thanks."

"You know, maybe if you ask the elder Weasleys some of your questions they'll know the answers." Sirius suggested. "They were parents before I started my first year of Hogwarts."

Harry nodded absently considering the idea. "I think I'll ask Mrs. Weasley. Maybe while she trims my hair."

"Let me know if you want to talk again. I can tell you a lot about your parents and some things about your grandparents. Unfortunately I wasn't around much as an adult before...well...you know." Sirius quickly finished his meal and left the table.

"Before what?" Dudley asked when he saw Harry's sad expression as he watched the older man go.

"He was in Azkaban." Harry said solemnly looking down at his food. "He wasn't given a fair trial and they sent him to prison for twelve years."

"Blimey...Hey! Didn't the goblin say you have the power to call a trial?" Dudley asked suddenly. 

"Korlag?" Harry thought back and nodded. "I think so."

"You can get Sirius a fair shake then and he'd be free." Dudley went on. "His name would be cleared!"

Harry's thoughts raced. He called Ziva asking for parchment and began writing a list. "I'll have to talk to the solicitor. Ask about procedure and such."

Dudley just nodded and picked at the last bit of food on his plate. "Hey, Harry? How am I gonna get replies from my mum?"

Harry considered this. "I can have my solicitor set up a post box, I guess. Oh, wait. That's no good. It can be traced."

Dudley shook his head. "It could be watched too. Like staked out. The cop shows I used to watch said that baddies do it too."

"Yeah." Harry commented. "We don't want Voldemort or Dumbledore to find us before we're ready after all. Hmmm...well, you said you wanted a pet. How about an owl?"

"I was leaning more toward a dog, actually. Beagles are cute or maybe a bulldog." Dudley shrugged. "What about a cellphone?"

Harry shook his head as they stood up and moved into the hallway. "Muggle technology doesn't work properly in a magical environment. I guess we'll have to ask Remus or Sirius."

"Did I hear my name?" Remus asked as he came up from behind them. 

Harry explained the situation. "Do you know a way for Dudley and his mother to keep in touch without using Hedwig? My aunt and uncle hated her and kept her locked up in her cage for ages at a time. Now that we're free of them, I don't want to make her go back."

"We'll come up with something, pup. If I remember correctly, Sirius and your dad had something..." Remus hummed thoughtfully. "I'll look into it. For now, here's your wardrobes. Your names are on the packages."

Harry grinned at the older man. "Great! Thanks!"

Dudley echoed his comments and the two teens went off to put their things away. 

Harry changed his clothes and let Ziva put everything else where it belonged. When he emerged he went in search of his godfather.

He knocked on Sirius' door and opened it when he heard the older man call out. "Hi. Has Remus talked... oh. Hi."

"Hi." Remus nodded to the younger man. 

"Hi." Sirius smirked and held a wrapped package out to him. "So this was supposed to be your birthday gift but Moony says you need something to help Dudley keep in touch with his mother..."

Harry's expression darkened. "I'm not going to randomly give something of yours to a person who hasn't been remotely nice to me for as long as she's known me, Siri. What is it?"

"Open it and see." Sirius rolled his eyes. 

Harry sat on the floor and unwrapped the package to find two hand mirrors. "Did you miss that I'm a boy or am I going to get makeup next?"

Both of his companions laughed. 

"Since you don't want to give it to Petunia, I'll take one back." Sirius said decisively holding out a hand. "Now, look in the mirror and say my name."

Harry frowned but followed instructions. "Sirius."

The man in question smirked and wondered how long it would take Harry to figure out what was going on. "Again."

Harry huffed. "Sirius Black?" This time, Harry heard an echo. "Wait..."

Sirius nodded once. "Good. You understand. If you say my full name or my animagus name it sends a magical signal to my mirror and we can talk."

Harry did understand. This was an option he'd never thought of. This was a darn good idea and it inspired a new possibility for his cousin and aunt. "Can we do this with another set of mirrors? Or maybe some other type of object?"

"Well sure. It's just a Protean Charm." Remus shrugged. 

"Great!" Harry rushed to the door and yelled for his cousin who poked his head out into the hallway. "We've had an idea for you to talk to your mum. Come here." 

As soon as Harry explained the idea, Dudley sighed and shook his head. "She won't like it. The charm makes it a magical object. She'll hate it."

Harry made a harumph noise. "Then it's a perfect punishment if you ask me. In order to contact someone she loves, she'll have to use something she absolutely hates - magic."

Sirius and Remus looked at each other silently. 

Harry noticed and glared at them. "What? It's not like it'll hurt her."

"Dad might not like it either." Dudley mumbled. 

"Tell her to hide it." Harry shrugged. "Whatever it ends up being."

"What object should we use?" Remus asked quietly, still unsettled by Harry's response. "Dudley, is there something she uses often that your dad wouldn't think twice if he saw her with something similar? Mirrors involve talking which would be impossible to hide or disguise."

"Would a book work?" Dudley asked. "She writes in a journal."

"That's great, and we can also make it so the covers change color when something new is written." Sirius suggested.

"Can it be ready by the end of next month?" Dudley asked suddenly excited. "Mum's birthday is the twenty-seventh."

Harry only nodded before moving on to tell Sirius and Remus that they needed to visit the Burrow as soon as possible to figure out if their opinions laid along the same lines as Harry’s own.

“Will Dudley be joining us?” Sirius asked.

“You can come along if you want, Dudley.” Harry gave his cousin an encouraging smirk. “Mrs. Weasley usually has tea ready within a few minutes of a guest’s arrival. She makes delicious biscuits.”

Dudley’s cheeks went pink but he nodded. “I’ll come. Thanks.”

“Good. It’ll give me a chance to reintroduce you to them as my squib cousin instead of the muggle git who bullies me all the time.” Harry chuckled and suggested they get a move on. "We're going to use the floo so this is how it works..." Harry motioned for one of the others to go first and Remus stepped forward with a bemused smile on his face to follow Harry's instructions as he performed them. Sirius went next and then Harry watched Dudley go through before following. 

When he tumbled out into Ron's kitchen he saw Molly and Ginny at the table with Remus and Sirius but Dudley was missing. 

"Harry James Potter!" Molly's lips pursed as she worked herself up into a snit.

"Mrs. Weas..." Harry began until he saw her expression change to hurt. "Molly. I can explain but first I have to see about my cousin." He looked at Ginny.

"Ron took him outside." Ginny smirked when Harry asked. "He wasn't feeling well."

With a sigh Harry nodded and went out to find Ron grimly looking after the dry heaving Dudley. 

"Hey, Ron." Harry said quietly. 

"Hey." Ron replied almost as quietly. "Harry, what's going on? Mum told me not to contact you on Dumbledore's orders, but I haven't heard from you either. I don't know what to think, mate."

"I sent one letter to you and Hedwig came back to me with it unopened." Harry told him. He stepped closer. "Things have happened. I need to tell you about all of it."

"So tell me." Ron prompted.

"Inside." Harry said using a head motion to direct his friend. "I don't want to tell it more than once, if you don't mind. You alright, Dudley?"

Dudley's face was red and splotchy but his breathing was almost back to normal as he nodded. "Can we go back with the key thingy? This was murder on my stomach, Harry."

Feeling sympathetic, Harry nodded. "Sure. Mrs. Weasley will give us tea inside. It'll calm your stomach and I need to talk to Ron and his family."

Dudley nodded, following slowly. 

They arrived at the table just as Molly was pouring the tea. She handed one directly to Harry and softly commanded him to talk.

After a deep breath, Harry explained the dementor attack and how he came to leave his aunt and uncle's house, leaving out Nagini's appearance in the neighborhood. "We spent the night at the Leaky Cauldron and went to Gringotts the next day where I found out a few interesting bits of information."

"What do you mean, Harry?" Ginny prompted looking worried. 

"Well, it turns out,  I've inherited quite a lot of money and property from my ancestors... on both sides of my family." He looked up and met Ron's eyes, worried because Ron was sensitive about his family's monetary situation. 

The boy in question had tensed up but he still seemed to be listening. 

"My mother was not a muggleborn as I'd been told." Harry went on. "She and my aunt were descendants of a squib named Edith. Edith's mother was a witch born of a union between Rowena Ravenclaw's son and Helga Hufflepuff's granddaughter."

Molly stared at Harry. "So you're the heir to three of Hogwarts' founders?"

Harry sighed and continued. "Not exactly."

"Now don't be silly, Harry." Molly said softly. "Everyone knows the Potter line is descended from Godric Gryffindor."

"Yes. They do." Harry confirmed with a nod. "But there's something not a lot of people know... some people only suspect it..." He paused to sip his tea. "Turns out, Godric Gryffindor had a relationship with Sabelina Slytherin - Salazar's daughter."

Molly chuckled lightly. "That's just rumors, Harry dear. It's not real."

"I'm afraid it is." Harry bit his lip. "It was confirmed by the goblin ancestry scrolls as well as a goblin prophecy."

"Don't forget Sigmund." Dudley pointed out. 

"Right." Harry smirked at his cousin. "An ancient metal snake that welcomed us to Potter Grove corroborates the story as well."

Molly's face drained of color and she sat back in her chair. "But... so much responsibility and ...you're just a boy."

"Four founders." Ron whispered in awe. "One heir. Bloody Hell, Harry!"

"I know." Harry nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, there's more and it won't be easy to hear."

Arthur came home, then, and just as he closed the door, the floo activated allowing Fred and George to tumble in from wherever they'd been. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously...
> 
> "Four founders." Ron whispered in awe. "One heir. Bloody Hell, Harry!"
> 
> "I know." Harry nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, there's more and it won't be easy to hear."
> 
> Arthur came home, then, and just as he closed the door, the floo activated allowing Fred and George to tumble in from wherever they'd been. 

**_Chapter 7_ **

When the three newcomers noticed the somber atmosphere of the kitchen, they hurried to take seats.

With Molly still in shock, Ginny filled the others in so Harry could gather his thoughts and finish the story. "First off, being the heir to the founders comes with a title." Harry informed them. "I'm to be called Lord Potter from now on, as I'm the Earl of Inverness." He cut Ron and the twins off with a glare and pointed a finger at them. "That goes for everyone but family and that means you since your mum's family, the Prewitts, are descended from Godric Gryffindor's sister."

"We're cousins?" Ron's face lit up. "Distant cousins but still!"

"A lord?" Molly whispered, still in a daze. "At fifteen?"

Harry grinned and nodded gently to his best friend. "The next thing I need to tell you is something seriously disturbing." He made sure they were all paying attention. "The goblins discovered - with one of the scrolls - that at some point in time I was subjected to several harmful spells and potions."

Gasps were heard around the table. 

"Being that I had no official contact with the wizarding world until I was eleven, it had to be before I was delivered to the Dursley house." He paused hoping they would draw the correct conclusion without him having to say it.

Molly shook her head. "No."

All eyes turned to her.

"What do you mean, Molly?" Arthur asked gently. 

She sat up and reached out to her husband. "I can see what's implied, Arthur. I see it and it just isn't possible!"

He patted her hand and looked over at the other adults. "What is she seeing?"

Harry sighed sadly. "That there are only two people who could've given me those potions and performed those spells. Hagrid, who took me from Sirius and delivered me to Dumbledore or Dumbledore himself."

Arthur looked at his wife and back to Harry. "Are you asking us to believe that...Hagrid?"

Harry snorted in morbid amusement. "Anything to believe that it's anyone but Dumbledore himself!"

"Arthur..." Remus' head leaned to the side a bit. "I don't know how you can draw any conclusion other than that Dumbledore has abused Harry for some reason."

The older man's face fell. "I...I just can't believe that the man who has taught us and our family... the man who runs a school would abuse a child!"

"I was fifteen months old." Harry reminded the group. "Albus Dumbledore is a powerful wizard who had access to both me and a Master of potions who has reason to dislike me - and my father before me - after he removed me from my rightful guardian's custody to place me in a home with people who hated me."

"But you're only a boy!" Molly's face crumpled and she began to cry. 

"Molly, I love that you think of me like one of your own kids. I've never known or at least remembered a mother's love..." Harry knelt at her left side. "I've truly felt welcome and loved here, but you have to stop focusing on my age. I wish I was 'just a boy'. I wish I could have everything you've always wanted for me, but the reality is that I'm not just a normal boy."

She blinked at him through her tears.

"I'm a rich, magically powerful boy...and I was vulnerable because Albus Dumbledore allowed my rightful guardian to be imprisoned..." Harry stood up as he continued, getting irritated and desperately holding his emotions back. "Held in that horrible place without a trial... for a crime he didn't commit."

"And now that I'm free, Albus keeps me so busy with order business that I can hardly see Harry much less form a real relationship with him." Sirius commented, standing up to face the group; hoping it looked like he was supporting his godson rather than distracting from the shaking of the table. 

"I'm no expert but I used to watch shows on the telly and I've read books with courtroom scenes." Harry looked around at the adults. "He had the opportunity and means. I can't begin to guess what his motives might've been but he also acts secretive and he doesn't seem to want me to be independent in any way. I don't trust him and I don't think you should either."

"Dumbledore is not someone to trifle with, Harry." Arthur said quietly. "The magical community has given him rather a lot of power over the years. How will you deal with this in addition to You- Know- Who?"

"As of my birthday, I'll have adult status in the wizarding world. That'll help, but I need to know who is friend and foe..." Harry said quietly letting his eyes skim over the gathering. "I need to connect with what true family I have left. I need to learn everything I can and make sure I leave nothing to chance. I'll also begin investing time, effort, and even money in fighting the war my way rather than following Dumbledore blindly."

The twins instantly looked interested but Ron's eyes hardened. "My family is not a charity case, Harry!"

Harry sighed. "I didn't say that and I don't think it, either. You heard what I said to your mum. You're family and good friends and I've always considered you my brother...and I'm not sure what the others are up to but you, and Fred and George...you have skills that can help win the war. Please say I can count on you?"

Ron stubbornly pursed his lips. "I don't like this at all. Do you think you can buy us? Think we're dolls you can collect and keep around til we're useful? Pawns on a chessboard?"

"That's not what I think at all,” Harry gritted his teeth. “but speaking of chess, Ron; you're good at strategy. Think strategically from my position. What would be your first move?"

Ron huffed. "Finding supplies, allies, and information."

"Step two?" Harry prompted his friend. 

"Securing a base of operations." Ron replied with pursed lips.

"As it happens I've been doing both at the same time." Harry confirmed. "Dudley, Remus and Sirius are helping me scout my family properties. I'll be at Potter Grove until my birthday. From there, we'll head to the highland loches ending our journey at the London townhouse before going back to Hogwarts.”

Ron nodded slowly as he thought things over. “What’s in the highland loches?”

“An island I inherited in Loch Ness.” Harry told him quietly bracing himself.

Ron gaped at him.

Harry huffed. “It’s a Ravenclaw property.”

“I’ll just bet it has a castle on it too. Doesn’t it?” Ron asked disdainfully. “You’re starting to have more in common with Malfoy than me, mate.”

Harry sighed. “Ron, I....” He sighed again. “I need a few minutes. I’m going for a walk.”

“Don’t go far, Harry.” Sirius said quietly.

Harry nodded and stood.

“I’ll go with you, Harry.” Ginny called out as he neared the door. 

“No offense, Ginny, but I’d really like to be alone for a bit.” Harry said softly.

“I’ll only go as far as the gate.” She offered. “I want to talk to you for a moment.”

Harry nodded his consent and opened the door for her to leave first.

As soon as the door closed after Harry, Ginny turned to face him. “Cedric's family lives east of here. You remember them, right...and the Lovegood family lives to the west. They’re a bit... eccentric.”

Harry nodded. “Good to know.”

Ginny paced a few times before facing him again. “I don’t know if you’d noticed but I had a bit of a thing for you over the last few years.”

Harry gaped. This was definitely not what he’d expected her to say. He bit his lip and took a breath to try and respond but she beat him to it.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m over it.” She waved her hand carelessly. “I just thought you should know in case your only hangup was my age. I didn’t want things to get awkward at school.”

“Heh.” Harry’s face got hot as he brought a hand up to scratch his neck. “I just don’t really think of you that way, Ginny. I actually lean the other way."

“Good.” She nodded. “That makes things easier. So, I heard you talking to Ron on the train back in June. You said something about a girl in my year with pale blonde hair.”

Harry nodded.

“I might know who it was. Why are you looking for her?” Ginny asked; her eyebrow raising slightly.

“She said something strange and cryptic to me the night of the third task.” Harry divulged without really giving much information. “I wanted to ask her about it.”

Ginny snorted. “That sounds like her alright.”

"Who?" Harry frowned at her and shook his head. “I don’t...”

“Go west, Harry. Your pale blonde girl is Luna Lovegood.” Ginny smirked, pointing the way before turning toward the house. “Good luck getting specific answers out of her, though.”

Harry’s frown remained as he walked along the path in the direction Ginny had indicated.

It wasn’t long before Harry came upon a wooden fence with honeysuckle twined around it. He stopped to take in the sight of the large field beyond the fence. 

The house wasn’t as large as the Weasley’s Burrow but it stood probably two to three stories tall and shaped like a large chess rook.

“Hi, Harry!” A feminine voice came from nowhere.

“Hello?” Harry called out as he looked around in all directions. “Who’s there?”

“Over here!” She said. “I’m at the door of my house. My voice is being projected magically from the stone hanging on the fencepost.”

Harry looked at the post and saw the stone. He then looked at the house where a girl in denim overalls was clearly standing on one hand with her pale blonde hair pooling on the floor around her head. Inspecting the stone closely, he saw a wire wrapped around it and the post. He’d thought it was decorative. He considered his options while making a show of looking the device over but a giggle sounded as he did. 

“You’re welcome to join me for tea, Harry.” She said, suddenly next to him.

Harry blinked at her in confusion. “How did...?” He shook his head and steeled himself for the coming conversation. “How do you know me, Luna? I don’t recall ever meeting you.”

“That’s a bit of a story, Harry.” She said with a mysterious smile as she crooked a finger at him. “Tea is just about ready.”

He supposed that one cup wouldn’t hurt. “Yes, alright.” He followed two steps behind her and walked up just as the door opened to reveal a man that looked eerily similar to... someone Harry couldn’t quite put a name to. 

The man was carrying a tea tray laden with cucumber sandwiches and three mismatched cup and saucer sets. 

“Harry, meet my papa.” Luna said softly, showing him to a chair on the porch. “My parents knew yours, Harry.”

Harry looked up into the older man’s eyes. “Did you? It’s always nice to meet people who knew them.”

“My wife’s career put her in contact with many people, Lord Potter.” Luna’s papa nodded kindly to the young man.

Harry froze. 

“No worries, Harry. Papa knows it isn’t public knowledge yet.” Luna’s smile widened. “He also knows lots more about you.”

Harry turned to look at her while her father poured the tea. “How do you know these things?” He shook his head. “Regardless, I need to know about the dragons you spoke of, Luna. You said something about dragons on the night of the third task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and how they’re supposed to teach me things. What can I learn from dragons?”

Luna’s elation was palpable. “That was just the right question to ask, Harry!”

“To begin at the beginning, Lord Potter, I am Xenophilius Lovegood.” Luna’s father smiled at him. “I run the Quibbler which is a newspaper or news magazine that publishes the news as you see it in the Daily Prophet but we also cover things like the Rotfang Conspiracy and other obscure topics they think aren’t newsworthy.”

“I’ve heard of the Quibbler, Sir. It’s nice to meet you.” Harry nodded respectfully to his host. "Please call me Harry."

"Fun fact: My mother was your mother’s midwife.” Luna grinned. "That's how we met."

Harry sat back, stunned. He let Luna push a teacup into his hand and sipped without adding anything to it. It was a perfect cup of tea just the way he liked it. Two wedges of lemon had been squeezed in but not left to float in the tea.

He eyed the two Lovegoods. "Are you telling me...?"

Luna shook her head. "No. Lily wasn't pregnant when she was killed but she'd thought it possible at one point after you'd all gone into hiding so she called my mum to come test her."

"I had just started the Quibbler and was so entrenched in paperwork and legalities and trying to hire reporters and such that my dear Pandora was forced to shoulder most of the duties of parenting our sweet Luna." Father and daughter shared a smile. "She visited with Lily several times between June and September when the fidelis charm was applied for the last time."

"So as toddlers, we played together." Harry said with a smirk. 

Luna nodded handing him a plate with a few cucumber sandwiches. "One of your favorite toys was a purple stuffed occamy. I remember because your mum would switch it out whenever you started to play with a toy fwooper bird. She hated it because it was loud and annoying."

"I wish I remembered it." Harry sighed sadly before glancing over at Luna's dad. "But, wait... I was barely a year old and you're younger than me. How do you remember?"

"The sight runs in my father's family." Luna blushed with a giggle. "My cousin sees people's animagus forms. I got a different form of it that affects my memory. I remember every moment of my life."

"Huh?" Harry just stared at her for a moment before turning to her father. "Uhm, I hope you don't mind me saying, sir, but you remind me of someone…"

"You'll be thinking of my brother, Lucius." Xenophilius nodded. "We have identical hair and coloring so everyone assumes we're twins but he's actually a year older than me."

Harry's jaw began to drop but he caught himself. "So Draco is your nephew...Luna's cousin?"

"You learn something new every day, Harry. Speaking of which..." Luna giggled and looked around as if they were being spied on. "Dragons have been around since time began. What can't they teach us?"

Frustration at the cryptic girl filled Harry but he repressed it to a quiet growl. "You mentioned dragons and not two hours later Draco showed up to talk to me. What does one have to do with the other? I'm so confused!"

"Dragons made you think of my cousin?" Luna mused. "How interesting! Well, let's think. His family has powerful magic and dragons do as well. His bloodline is ancient and noble as are dragons."

Xenophilius crossed his arms. "Dragons are reputed to be fearsome but they're often misunderstood and they can be quite wise if you listen carefully enough."

"Misunderstood..." Harry nodded as something clicked in his mind. "That's something else you said that day too; something about healing old wounds, misunderstandings and fear. We've wounded each other over the years, Draco and I."

Luna's blue eyes seemed sad as she softly replied. "There is much truth in that statement, Harry."

Unhappy with the answers he'd collected, Harry finished his tea and the last cucumber sandwich on his dish. "Ron's family is probably wondering where I wandered off to. I'll owl soon Luna and perhaps you can celebrate my birthday with me."

"Oh, wouldn't that be lovely!" She smiled brightly and stood. "Don't worry about Ron's wrackspurt infestation. It'll clear up after the school year begins. See you soon."

As Harry walked down the path wondering what wrackspurts were, he shook his head again. He was almost as confused as when he'd gotten there. 

Sirius was waiting for him at the gate. "Is everything alright, pup?"

"Yes, but now I have to figure out where the Lovegoods fit in this whole crazy mess." Harry shrugged and motioned for his godfather to join him. "Luna's mum was my mother's midwife and apparently, Luna herself is Draco Malfoy's cousin through their fathers. Wait! Why aren't they Malfoys then?"

"Who?" Arthur Weasley was just coming back from his shed when he overheard Harry's question. 

"Xenophilius Lovegood is Lucius Malfoy's brother!" Harry frowned. "Why aren't they Malfoys?" 

"Oh, that's easy. Pandora was the last of her family line. She must've asked him to take her name." Arthur smiled. "It's not common but also not unheard of."

"Huh." Harry hadn't ever heard of it but there was much he still had to learn about the magical world. "Well, whatever. I hope Ron's ready to talk calmly because I really don't have time for his stubbornness."

"I'm sure he just needs a bit of time, son." Arthur patted Harry's shoulder. "He's gone for a fly with Ginny. The twins are upstairs though."

Harry made a quick decision. "I'll ask Molly for a haircut and then talk to Forge and let Ron come to me." He glanced at Sirius. "Coming?"

Sirius made a shoo motion. "Moony's with the twins and Dudley went back to Potter Grove. He wanted to read up on some things. Arthur gave him a list of books that will help him acclimate to being a squib in the wizarding world."

Harry's eyes widened but he didn't know what surprised him more, Dudley studying voluntarily or the twins entertaining Remus without knowing a few key details. Stepping into the kitchen, Harry cleared his throat to announce himself. "Molly?"

The matriarch looked up from the dough she was kneading. "Oh! Harry, dear, you're back!"

Harry smiled gently at her. "Yes. Erm, I was wondering..."

Sirius chuckled behind him. "He'd like a haircut, Molly. If you don't mind?"

An indulgent smile spread across her face as she nodded. "Of course, dear! A lord shouldn't walk around looking shaggy, after all!" 

Harry sat down as she washed her hands and took up her wand. Within a few minutes his hair was several inches shorter and almost neat.

"Thanks, Molly." He said softly kissing her cheek as Sirius spelled a broom across the floor and vanished the mess.

She blushed as she gave him a quick hug and pushed him toward the hallway. 

He smirked but didn't say a word as he led the way to the correct bedroom and knocked. "Gred? Forge?" He could tell them apart but preferred to let them and others believe that they could fool him too.

"Harry!" Fred pulled the door open and stepped back. 

"I noticed your interest when I mentioned investing money." Harry said as he sat on the bed beside George. "I also recall that you had plans for a business but things didn't work out the way you hoped."

"Yeah." Fred glared into the corner. "That no-good-"

"Ludo Bagman cheated us-" George broke in.

Fred took up where his brother left off. "And can't pay his debts."

"We can't tell Mum and Dad-" George finished their thought. "Or we'll get in trouble for gambling!"

Fred punched his pillow. "So we're forced to scrap our life savings."

"We can get around that. I'm happy to invest in your business." Harry grinned as the twins celebrated. "There's trouble coming one of these days." Harry met their eyes steadily. "People will need a bit of laughter."

Those words sobered all of them. 

"Now..." Harry smirked and glanced carefully at his older companions. "What would you say if I told you that the makers of our favorite map are extremely proud of you?"

"Map?" Fred and George looked at each other and back at Harry. "What map?" Fred asked, glancing at Remus. 

George swallowed carefully and looked at Sirius with trepidation. "We don't have a map!"

"Guys, it's ok." Harry assured them. "May I introduce you to Messrs. Moony and Padfoot?"

George's eyes widened as he whispered. "No way..."

Harry chuckled as Fred narrowed his eyes at the older men. "Prove it."

Sirius huffed. "How rude!"

"Prongs was my dad." Harry confided to the twins' shock.

Fred pouted. "Still not sure I believe you."

"Fine." Harry rolled his eyes. "I had a feeling this might happen." He pulled out a familiar bit of parchment and laid it on the bed. He showed Fred and George that it was blank and bowed to his godfather. 

Both Marauders held up their wands and spoke the password phrase. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." 

The map came to life with a flourish. Harry smiled and turned to see the office where the headmaster was in conference with the heads of Hogwarts houses. Filch was in a hallway not far from the potions lab while Madams Pomphrey and Pince were in the staff common room. 

"See?" Harry smirked. "No insults."

Fred's eyes slowly came up to focus on the two older men. "Messrs. I must apologize! I doubted you wrongly! Before we passed the map on to Harry, it was our most prized possession."

"Your creation assisted with so much of our mischief and mayhem." George told them reverently. 

Sirius grinned at them while Remus' lips twitched. 

"And now to find out that we only helped Harry retrieve what was rightfully his!" Fred stared at the young lord. "Your birthright as the son of a Marauder!"

"You know of our exploits?" George theatrically rushed to kneel the Remus' feet. 

Fred immediately copied his brother's antics by kneeling at Sirius' feet. "We're so honored that you've revealed your secret identities to us!"

"Well, not quite." Sirius chuckled. "The names had to come from somewhere..."

Fred took the first guess. "Well, we know Mr. Lupin is a werewolf..."

George smirked. "So he's Messr. Moony, right? Were you all were's?"

Harry laughed at this. A were-deer? Even funnier was the idea of a were-rat.

Sirius stood up and changed into his animagus form. 

"They were animagi!" Harry whispered theatrically with a smile. 

Fred swooned and George caught him. "Of course!"

"Down to business, guys. Yeah?" Harry smirked at them. 

The twins instantly sat up and looked alert.

Harry shook his head and chuckled. "Ok. We want to be investors in your business."

"We?" George asked breathlessly with wide eyes.

"Yes." Harry nodded. "The three of us."

"Between the three of us, we can give you fifteen hundred galleons to start the business off." Sirius suggested. He watched their faces as they thought it over. 

The twins sighed. "That would be really great but..." Fred sounded choked up.

"We really want to keep this a Weasley owned company." George looked devastated to finish speaking. "With three investors you'd own more of it than we would."

Harry understood. "You've got the wrong idea, guys. We want to be a collective. We would be a single... mostly silent... partner."

The twins shared a confused look.

"If you agree, we'll start a vault at Gringotts under a company name; let's say The Marauders; and that's who your investor is." Sirius explained. 

"We would only expect a few considerations." Harry carefully began. 

"We won't forget the people who help us get started, mate." Fred shook his head. 

George's eyes became hard as he stood and faced the group. "Investors get free samples and one third of our yearly earnings will be deposited in the Marauder's vault."

Harry shared a look with his godfather and Remus. "The money won't be touched by us, lads. It'll remain open for you to draw from to fund your experiments. Consider it a roll-over investment. What we'd really like is to suggest a few policies..."

"Like what?" Fred asked, frowning. 

"We'd like you to keep track of who buys things ...well certain things." Harry said quietly. "Things that could be trouble for us if Voldemort were to use it against us."

"If it can be used effectively by us for the war effort, it could be just as effective against us." Remus pointed out grimly. 

The twins nodded solemnly in unison. 

"We also want to give a few suggestions every once in a while." Sirius told them. "The Marauders were pretty creative back in our day."

George grinned. "Absolutely!"

"Excellent!" Harry grinned at his friends. "I'll speak to Korlag on my birthday. He's my estate manager."

A knock sounded on the door. 

"Harry?" Ron called. "Are you in there?"

Harry looked at his godfather. "I'll go talk to him. Can you finish up here and I'll meet you at Potter Grove?"

Sirius nodded. "No problem, pup."

Harry stood opened the door just as Ron was getting ready to knock again. 

"So, you've finished buying my brothers?" Ron ground his teeth. His arms were crossed over his chest and his face was rapidly growing pink.

"Let's take this upstairs, Ron." Harry sighed. "I'd rather talk in private." Harry considered what he could say to calm his best friend down and had to admit he might not have the right words to answer Ron's concerns. 

They walked into Ron's room silently but Harry cast muffliato at the door as a precaution. 

Ron didn't even let them get comfortable before turning to face Harry. "How much did the twins cost you? What exactly are they giving in return?"

Eyes narrowing into a glare, Harry gritted his teeth. "They're starting a business, Ron. I'm only investing in it and it's none of your business how much."

“It bloody well is my business! I have to protect them!” Ron’s voice began to rise in volume. “I’m the strategist in this family and I know how hard they worked and how many barrel bottoms got scraped for their money! In this family, we build everything we have from scratch, Harry! You got everything handed to you when you returned to the magical world.”

“What do you mean by that?” Harry asked, numb with shock.

“C’mon, Harry!” Ron spat bitterly. “Not only did you have a sizable trust fund but a healthy vault to inherit after you came of age. Now - at fifteen - you find out you’re not just ‘taken care of’ but heir to all four of Hogwarts’ founders! You’re a lord! An Earl of all things! You’ve got millions of galleons at your fingertips and several ‘family properties’ to inspect! A castle on each one, I’m sure. I’d even wager that they’re scattered throughout the world not just located here in Britain. Am I right?”

“You know I didn’t just get handed those things, Ron!” Harry glared at his ‘best’ friend trying desperately to keep from saying something he'll regret. “I paid for it all with my parents’ blood! I’d rather have my parents than all this money and property! How dare you imply that my life has been easy when you know I was sleeping in a cupboard for ten years! You know there were bars on my window when I turned twelve! My life has apparently always been a cycle of abuse and manipulation!”

The two boys stared at each other for a moment that felt like eternity. 

“All I’m saying is that my siblings and I...? We have no inheritance.” Ron pointed out. “We have very few connections and we really only have each other for back up.”

“Money isn’t everything, Ron! Money, fame - it doesn’t mean anything unless you use it properly... to help people.” Harry took a deep breath to try and calm down. “The people I want to help are my friends and family. For goodness sake, Ron, I’m one of your bloody connections! Sirius is a viscount! He’s among your connections too! They're really starting to add up! Honestly, right now, the only good thing about my being a lord is that I don’t have to put up with rude, ignorant arses, if I don’t want to.” Harry turned and walked out of the room. He was down the stairs and into the floo before anyone in the house knew what was happening. “Potter Grove!”


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Almost a week had passed and Harry was at the desk in his bedroom. Hedwig rested on her perch watching him write a letter. Harry smiled at the lovely snowy owl as he applied the wax seal to the letter and stood. 

"Let's see what's going on with Hermione, girl. I haven’t heard from her since school." Harry said, stroking the owl's chest. "I've asked her to visit for my birthday and told her there were some things I want to talk to her about. It should be a quick trip. Wait a bit to see if she has a reply, won't you?"

She trilled and took off into the mid-morning sky.

Harry watched her fly over the grove before allowing himself to become distracted by the black dog running around in the garden. That reminded him; if he wanted to become an animagus, he'd need tutoring so he hurried off to join his dogfather in the garden. When he arrived at the section of garden where he'd spotted Sirius, he laughed so hard he needed to support himself against the nearest tree.

Padfoot was standing on Remus' chest licking his face. Remus was laughing as he tried to fend the canine off.

Just as Harry was beginning to catch his breath, he was tackled to the ground by the same rambunctious dog. "Padfoot! No! I came to talk to you, not to play!" Harry laughed. 

Sirius transformed right there with his nose touching Harry's. 

"Gah!" Harry shouted and pushed the older man off. 

Still laughing, Sirius stood up and reached out to help his godson up as well. “What can I help you with, pup?”

“I want to study to become an animagus.” Harry reminded them. “What does that entail? Is there a particular time of year? Is it just a spell? What kind of process are we talking about?”

“Ok, well,” Sirius led the way to a bench where they all sat down. “Astrology has nothing to do with it so there’s no specific time of year to wait for, but there is a spell and a potion.”

“Your dad and Sirius complained afterward that they wished they did it in the early summer though since the school year made the process feel hectic and rushed.” Remus smiled remembering.

“Sirius?” Harry smirked.

He held up his hands, chuckling. “It was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life - clearly - but it was bloody difficult keeping a mandrake leaf in my mouth for an entire month and hiding it from Minnie!”

Harry choked. “Minnie?”

“Minerva McGonagall was our professor too, Harry.” Remus told him. 

“I know. I’m just shocked you call her ‘Minne’!” Harry was wide eyed.

“Not to her face!” Sirius replied in a scandalized tone. “Anyway, mandrake leaves aren’t very tasty, Harry." He paused to chuckle at his godson's expression. "Nor do they smell very good. So trying to take our classes and speak with teachers and play quidditch with a mandrake leaf in your mouth is difficult, to say the least."

Harry sighed. "I suppose it'll have to wait until next summer then."

"You can still read up on the process and prepare yourself for it. I'll pull some books out of the library that will help." Sirius told him encouragingly.

Harry grinned at his godfather and nodded once to let the older man know he appreciated his help. "I didn't get a chance to tell you as it just happened first thing this morning... I received a letter from the queen's solicitor. Seems he was informed as soon as I expressed my intention to accept the Earl-dom. Someone from his office will be there to witness the event and help me sign paperwork."

Remus and Sirius only nodded to show their acceptance before the werewolf pulled a newspaper from his pocket. “Have a look at today’s headlines, Harry. As a lord of the realms you’ll need to know what is happening in the world.”

"You should also know if anything is said about you or your allies." Sirius pointed out. 

Harry took the Daily Prophet from Remus’ hand and unfolded it to see the whole front page. "Boy Who Lived..." Harry trailed off as it morphed into Boy Who Lies. "They're saying I lied about Voldemort."

"Fudge is afraid and he's ruled by his fears, Harry." Remus said grimly. "His plan seems to be discrediting you and those who appear to be your allies. Keep going."

“Dumbledore: Daft or Dangerous.” Harry read aloud the caption for the top picture. “Dark Secrets revealed.” 

“Yes. He's also been demoted from his post as Chief Wizard of the Wizengamut. That is today’s paper. I picked it up while I was out this morning. You can read that later - the next bit is more important.” Remus said as he pulled another couple of newspapers out of a different pocket. “After reading that, I recalled what we talked about in the infirmary after young Malfoy’s visit so I went into the Ministry’s library and searched the archives for references to any possible rumours around Dumbledore near the end of the war with Grindlewald.”

“That’s the reason Dumbledore is so famous isn’t it?” Harry asked as he reached for them but Remus held it back to give Harry a bit of background information. Harry huffed but continued his thought. “He dueled Grindlewald and won, right?”

“It’s only one of the reasons he’s famous, Harry." Remus glanced at Sirius. "He also..."

Harry held up a hand and nodded with a smirk. "I have the chocolate frog card, Moony."

"Alright here, then." Remus chuckled but nodded as he handed the first paper over. "This first one is dated just a month after he dueled Grindlewald and won.” 

The paper in his hands looked fairly old so he checked the date. “Nineteen forty-five?” Harry looked up at Remus. “Hero Missing! Safe at Hogwarts or Kidnapped?”

“Now this all happened before your parents and I were born, so I only know this from history books.” Remus nodded again. “But apparently, Albus was asked to escort the man to the prison cell he'd been sentenced to occupy for the rest of his life. When he returned to England, he reported to the Ministry and then, although he was supposed to return to his professorship at Hogwarts, he disappeared for a number of weeks."

“So his students didn’t see him at all?” Harry frowned. “His fellow teachers? What about any family?”

“No family to speak of. He’d been estranged from his brother for years.” Sirius explained. “His mother and sister had been killed in unrelated freak accidents, several years apart, just after he graduated Hogwarts. His father was in Azkaban for the murder of three muggles.”

Harry couldn’t make sense of it. “So nobody knew where he was. Not even friends...” He trailed off as he saw that a man known as Elphias Doge, Dumbledore’s good friend and confidant, gave a statement to exactly that effect.

“Until, three weeks later.” Remus interjected as he revealed the next newspaper.

“Dumbledore to Receive Honors.” Harry read softly. “Rested, recuperated and returned to us, heroic professor from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore, to become newest honoree of the Order of Merlin, first class.”

“He’s quoted as saying that he’d been nursing a minor injury taken in the battle with Grindlewald and cast wards to repel mail.” Remus leaned forward to point out the section.

Harry frowned. “Yeah, he’s good at those.”

He and his uncles sat quietly just thinking about this development. 

“Did the original article about Grindlewald’s defeat mention any injuries?” Harry wondered.

“I’m not certain, Harry.” Remus shrugged. "I asked the archivist for the first mention of Dumbledore after the duel.”

“If you get a chance to go back, I’d like to know that, please.” Harry murmured absently. “Thanks for bringing these. I need to... I need to think. I’ll see you later.”

Just as he reached the door, Ziva popped into the room. "Master Harry? You's owl has returned."

“Thanks, Ziva.” Harry smiled and hurried up to his room, eager to see Hermione's response but when he reached the desk, he wasn't met with a letter from his friend but one from his estate manager instead. He frowned and opened it to find that Korlag had contacted his closest living magical relatives from both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff lines. They would be witnessing his acceptance of the title.

The hand holding the letter slowly lowered to rest on the desk. It had been explained to him that he was the eldest living male descendant of each of the four founders. The others were related as Ron's family were, through the founder's sibling, and that is why the others couldn't claim the individual baronies, which would diminish Harry's title - besides that, they were younger than him by a few months to a year. 

Harry suddenly regretted not asking for their names but knew he'd find out who they were soon enough so he moved on to more important things. His mind was racing and he was overwhelmed by the conflicting information. He sighed and tried to calm his chaotic thoughts. 

Hermione was so much better at dealing with information than him. He wished she was here right now. She could probably explain the logic behind all the recent events. Hermione had a knack for research and there was so much he needed to know. She’d left things off in June by wishing him a good summer. She’d hugged him. Something was clearly holding her back from replying today but she was her own person and could usually take care of herself. She was also friends with Ginny so hopefully they'd be in contact with one another and the Weasleys would tell her something or at least get her to write to him for details. She needed to know something was up with Dumbledore.

He wasn’t the man everyone thought he was and the wizarding world needed to be told. The general public knew him as an oddly sweet, doddering old man who'd once been a brave champion that fought a terrible dark wizard for the best interests of all magical folk everywhere, earning a variety of honors including the Order of Merlin, first class. To them he was the smart and talented wizard who discovered twelve uses of dragon’s blood and then teamed up with a notable alchemist to create the philosopher's stone, and he was that man... 

However...

He was also the man who'd put that stone to use as bait for a psycho in a school full of innocent children. He was also the man who'd made Harry participate in a barbaric tournament that could've killed him when he was just fourteen. Now to find out that his misdeeds went much further back in time than Harry could have expected was just too much. The man would pay. Somehow he would pay for his crimes. 

Speaking of crimes, his godfather had endured a great miscarriage of justice and the ministry needed to make up for the horrendous wrong they’d committed against a lord of the magical realm. He could hardly believe that Barty Crouch Sr. had thrown a Lord into Azkaban. Then he realized that at the time Sirius had only been a lord’s heir but his father’s title should’ve warranted a trial for him at least.

The title... Harry had had responsibilities before but he'd be a lord now. He'd have people relying on him more. He'd need to think before he spoke, not to mention before he acted. He allowed his mind to think about everything he knew about the nobility in the British aristocracy. The closest he could come was to recall that they conduct themselves with calm dignity and cool self control in public and avoid scandal when possible. They were known to be friendly and to show amiability to people who were close to them but, for the most part, they remain fairly aloof. He was pretty sure he could do most of that. He'd have to try if he wanted to do justice to this honor.

He'd had several titles since his return to the wizarding world and each one had given him a differing degree of discomfort, not to mention scandal. The title of 'Boy Who Lived' was not the most absurd but it was certainly the most well known. While not technically a title, he'd been declared the youngest seeker in a century at Hogwarts. Heir of Slytherin was no longer incorrect as the parseltongued founder had only two daughters and Harry was descended from the eldest daughter's only child - the one nobody had known about as she hadn't ever married before her passing. Most recently, he was even one of the two Hogwarts students who shared the title of Tri-wizard Champion. The memory of Rita Skeeter's articles on that topic flashed through his mind.

None of those titles had been as imbued with the kind of responsibility that an earl had to shoulder. Recent times had diminished the amount of duties officially required of an earl but it commanded a certain level of respect and Harry's view of it was that he would treat everyone with respect until they proved themselves unworthy of it. This thought brought to mind the Malfoy heir because Harry had recently reevaluated the other boy's standing in that regard. 

When they'd first met, Harry had been put off by Malfoy's attitude about the house system at Hogwarts. Not only had he been arrogant and condescending, but then he’d proceeded to make fun of Hagrid - the only magical person Harry had ever met - the only person in recent memory who’d ever been kind to him. Their second meeting hadn’t gone any better because Draco had offended Ron Weasley - the second friend Harry had ever had. Harry’s opinion of Malfoy had only gone downhill from there and he never thought it would rebound but due to the night of the third task of the tournament, Harry was considering clearing the slate between them. 

Feeling an uncomfortable ache in his belly, Harry glanced at the clock and called for a tray of fruit and cheese. 

"Would Master Harry like to eat his lunch with the others?" Ziva inquired. 

"Not today, Ziva. Thank you." Harry sighed and as she left his thoughts turned back to the family of blondes. 

As he munched on his snack, Harry allowed his eyes to wander into the garden and then the horizon in the Malfoys direction. That family had always been a bit mysterious but the addition of this summer's events gave them more depth. He bit his lip and pulled a sheet of parchment from the correct drawer of his desk. Quickly, he wrote down what Luna had said to him back in June. Below that he wrote his interpretation of it.

Draco would be a good ally and a wise teacher so he - Harry - should seek to heal the wounds and misunderstandings between them because fearing the teacher would close him off from whatever he was supposed to learn and his heart needed to be open to Draco's wisdom... 

Harry paused as he reread the last sentence of Luna's words. She'd said that he needed to open his heart to the wisdom and love of the dragons. What kind of love could Draco have to teach him? He already had a love of learning and a love of flying. He loved magic and his family... the family that acknowledged and loved him back, anyway. He couldn't imagine something that was missing so he merely added the word love with a question mark. 

Next, Harry wrote the goblin prophecy about the founders' houses combining into one heir before once again interpreting it in his own words. It sounded quite ominous. The Gryffindor and Slytherin bloodlines combined first. A generation later, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff combined their bloodlines. Then, for a couple hundred years, they never converged but suddenly both heirs are born and come together at Hogwarts in the same house and the same year. Harry surmised that the prophecy meant that his parents' marriage enlarged the family. The bloodline, and therefore the magic, was multiplied but where the number ten had come into play, he couldn't say.

"Harry?" Remus called from the doorway. 

Startled, the younger man looked up. 

"Ron's at the floo." Remus told him calmly. 

"I'll be right there." Harry replied as he straightened his notes and set the quill aside. 

He was not looking forward to this conversation but he knew he would regret it if it went badly. He reached the floo room and was surprised to find his friend standing there rather than his head in the fire. "Hey."

"Hey." Ron replied tersely. "Look I'm still not happy about all this but I reckon I should've given you a chance to explain your plans before giving you a hard time. Sorry."

Harry sighed but nodded his acceptance. 

"Look something's going on with Hermione. I haven't heard from her in weeks and then I wrote her about our tiff and all her reply said was that Dumbledore had told her it was best for us all to remain inky muni cado - or something like that - during this summer and I was not allowed to write to either of you." Ron ranted in a low tone. "I dunno what to make of it. Even Ginny's been turned away."

Harry frowned. "I didn't receive a reply of any kind. I guess Dumbledore has her loyalty... at least until we can talk to her and convince her otherwise."

"So..." Ron began. "Your birthday..."

"Yes...My birthday..." Harry set his teeth in anticipation of a fight. 

"Mum's invited some people round for it. After the title thing." Ron mumbled. "I know we're not really getting along right now but..."

The tension in Harry's shoulders drained. "I’d hate to disappoint her..."

"I'll tell her it's on." Ron said gruffly, turning away.

Harry watched the redhead leave with a sigh, not understanding how he and his friends had grown so far apart in such a short time. 

Luna had said Ron would get over it after the start of term. Hopefully she was right but she was so 'out there' that Harry didn't want to hold his breath. What he did want was to get his mind off of his issues with his friends and onto more life altering subjects. 

His health had improved but he felt like it could get better. His summer homework had seemed less challenging than last year's and that could be explained by the magical blocks being removed but he felt that he might benefit from going over the textbooks from earlier years. 

As Harry strolled the halls of Potter Grove, he made a decision. He would write to Olgok for advice on his health but, in the meantime, Harry would remake himself. Dumbledore had tried to mold him a certain way but he didn't fit that mold so he'd have to break it and make a new one. 

His room had a large empty wall and as soon as he reached it, Harry summoned a piece of parchment, enlarged it and used a sticking charm to place it on the wall. There he laid out his plan. For each day of the following week he would review his old textbooks - one subject per day except for potions which would need two days since it was the one that gave him the most trouble. That settled, Harry sat down to write the goblin healer.

By dinnertime Harry held the reply recommending regular exercise and the recipe for the potion he'd been given at Gringotts. 

"Ziva?" Harry called. 

The elf appeared with a smile. "Good evening, Master Harry."

"How's everything today, Ziva?" He asked lightly and once he was assured that the household was in order, he asked his question. "I need some ingredients for a health boosting potion. Do we have any of the ones listed here on the property?"

Ziva looked over the list and became excited. "Oh, yes! Master Harry, we has almost everything on your list!"

Harry grinned at her. "Great! What are we missing? I'll ask Remus to make a trip."

"Only the ginseng and guava are missing from the Grove, Master Harry." Ziva told him. "Carrots, echinacea, kale and spinach are in the gardens! Licorice root is in the pantry."

"Wonderful. Thank you." Harry turned to leave but couldn't take a step because Ziva had popped into his path.

"Master Harry?"

He frowned at her in confusion but replied with a softly questioning hum.

"Why is Master needing such a potion?" Ziva asked in a voice that sounded both sad and hesitant. 

Harry sighed. "When my parents were killed, I was placed with my mother's sister's family and they weren't kind to me...but I was also given potions that suppressed my ability to grow properly... suppressed my strength magically and bodily. Now I'm about to be fifteen and I'm just catching up. This potion was given to me by the goblin healer at the bank."

Ziva was quiet for a moment. "Goblin healer says Master must exercise to build muscle. Master can walk or run the trail that goes through the grove - Bisbee guide you. Master can swim in the pool in the southeast corner of the property - Tilly show you. Master can fly on a broom." Each sentence was punctuated by a decisive nod of her head before the little being popped away. 

Oddly touched, Harry made his way to dinner where he filled his companions in on the news. Remus was only too happy to pick up Harry's ingredients and promised to do so the next day. Sirius offered to keep him company during his exercise routine and Harry accepted with the provision that Dudley join in too. He wanted to be sure Dudley could escape a dangerous situation if necessary. 

As the days went by, Harry felt stronger and healthier than he ever had before. Having gone over the textbooks from his previous school years, the young lord felt like he'd retained more information this time around and was ready to go back to Hogwarts, but first he had to claim his title. Before he knew it, he was getting dressed in his formal dress robes while Sirius watched.

"What's going to happen?" Harry asked his godfather as he fumbled with his tie.

Sirius sympathetically stood and took it from him. He arranged the tie correctly and then hugged the fifteen year old. "I saw my father accept his title so I can actually answer that. You'll stand on a special stone platform and sirens will sing as you speak vows while doing cartwheels and perform a spell three times before signing papers that will be submitted to the Ministry in septuplicate. Then a phoenix appears and gives you a kiss. Then you can finally leave the room as Lord Potter."

Harry chuckled. "So it's just a simple procedure then?"

Sirius gave up his overly serious act and grinned. "I was only completely serious about the paperwork. We'll go into the office and you'll sign a bunch of papers. Korlag will oversee everything and someone from the queen's solicitor's office will have another few papers to sign and then it's finally official."

"Alright." Harry replied calmly before calling Ziva. "We're leaving tomorrow. Please pack my trunk for the trip." Once that was handled, Harry took a deep breath and as he let it out, he said, "Let's do this."

"Korlag sent a portkey." Remus commented from the doorway. Dudley stood solemnly beside him in a muggle suit. "Siri, you can join us. It'll land in a private room and you can change there."

"Alright." The animagus nodded and reached out to accept his portion of the portkey. 

The others all took hold of the gold colored rope so Harry could say the password. "Galleon."

And off they went, yanked by their navels to Diagon Alley in London. 

Sirius transformed into Snuffles and stood next to Harry while Remus and Dudley took up flanking positions a step behind them. As the group approached the door, it opened to reveal Korlag. 

"Wonderful to see you, Lord Potter." Korlag's grin was wide and toothy. "Your relatives are here as is the queen's representative. We're ready when you are."

Harry nodded once and followed his estate manager into the other room where he was surprised to see three familiar faces beyond the Weasley family whom he'd been expecting. Luna Lovegood stood between her father and Ginny. Zacharias Smith stood beside an older man who could only be his father because they looked so much alike. 

Harry greeted everyone with a small smile. 

"Lord Potter, I believe you know some of these people, but please, allow me to introduce them. The Weasley family are your cousins via Godric Gryffindor's sister. Ms. Luna Lovegood and Mr. Zacharias Smith are descended from your thrice great grandmother’s brothers who were each given a name to continue." Korlag paused to allow Harry to absorb this news and from what he already knew of her that meant she was related through her mother because otherwise Draco would be here too. "Ms. Lovegood’s family is keeper of the Ravenclaw name while Mr. Smith is keeper of the Hufflepuff name. His father has escorted him."

Luna was grinning the whole time and, when Harry approached her, she bypassed his handshake offer to give him a big hug. He chuckled but hugged her back before turning to face the Smiths. "Hello. It's nice to meet you."

"Most would assume I'm related via my father's side of the family." Zacharias said as they shook hands. "They're wrong, of course. It's actually my mother that is from the Hufflepuff line. I'm the first male Hufflepuff descendant since your ancestor’s brothers. That's why I didn't get to the title first - your branch of the tree is shorter than mine."

Harry nodded politely but felt quite awkward about the encounter as he turned to face Korlag and a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was tall but only because of the red high heels she was wearing. Her black pencil skirt fell just below her knees and the high neckline of her white blouse was accented with a short ruffle while her mushroom brown hair was arranged in a bun at the nape of her neck. 

"This is Ms. Reese Silverling." Korlag told him. "She's the queen's representative for this proceeding."

Harry took the woman's hand and filed her name in his mind as he gave it a light kiss. 

She pursed her lips and sniffed as they moved behind Korlag's desk. Harry sat and was handed a sheaf of paper. "Sign here, here, and there." She pointed to a line on the second page with an x then turned to the third and fifth pages in rapid succession. 

Harry politely followed directions and was soon handed another sheaf of papers. 

"Sign at the bottom of each page and initial where the exes are shown." She instructed tersely. As soon as Harry had finished she put one more page in front of him and pointed. "Sign here, initial here, here and here, then sign on the bottom of the reverse side. It is already dated and signed by Her Majesty for expediency."

"You must place your seal beside your final signature, Lord Potter. Then we can move on to the Ministry's paperwork." Korlag informed him.

Harry nodded, solemnly suppressing a sigh and carefully avoiding Snuffles' gaze because he'd rather be standing on the stone slab listening to sirens sing while cartwheeling and spellcasting and waiting for the phoenix to come and kiss him.

Harry's hand was cramping by the time he finished affixing his seal to the last form.

"You are now, officially, Lord Harry Potter, Earl of Inverness." Korlag grinned at him. "I'd like to be the first to congratulate you, Lord Potter."

Harry smiled at him with genuine gratitude. 

"Everyone is welcome to join us at the Burrow for a proper celebration of Harry's birthday as well as his title!" Molly's voice shook with emotion as she announced her invitation. 

"I'm afraid I have a few other matters to address with Lord Potter before he may celebrate, Mrs. Weasley." Ms. Silverling said boldly. 

Harry smiled at Molly and promised to be there as soon as possible. Snuffles pressed against Harry's leg. Remus and Dudley also stayed with him as the elder Smith declined the invitation but Zacharias joined the rest for their portkey to Ottery St. Catchpole. 

Once the others were gone, Harry faced the queen's representative. "How may I help you, Ms. Silverling?"

"We've conducted an extensive background check before deciding to allow this title to be conferred, Lord Potter." She spoke calmly. "We spoke with your aunts and uncle, their neighbors on Privet drive, former and current teachers."

Harry frowned. "I only have one aunt."

"I spoke personally to all three of your relatives, Lord Potter. There is Petunia and Vernon Dursley...and Margaret Dursley." She spoke as if their names tasted badly on her tongue.

"I see where you've gotten confused." Harry said kindly. "Petunia is my mother's sister. I'm not related to Margaret Dursley at all."

Silverling's eyebrow rose slightly. "I see. We shall toss her entire interview but there's still the issue of Dudley Dursley's kidnapping."

Harry laughed outright. "I didn't kidnap him. They kicked me out of the house and he decided to come along. He's right there."

They were led to the sitting area of Korlag's office where they both retold the story of the dementor attack and Harry getting booted from the Dursley house as well as Dudley's insistence on going with him. 

"I see. You have memories to back that up, I assume." Silverling blinked rapidly as she took in all the lies she'd been told. 

“I do indeed.” Harry saw his opportunity and took it, quickly hiking up the right sleeve of his dress robe to reveal the newest scar received at Voldemort’s hand. “Perhaps giving memories might clear up some other matters as well.”

"Look... You’ve been awfully upfront about everything with me...” Silverling’s eyebrow rose slightly in surprise as she flicked her eyes over the young lord’s lower right forearm. “I might have some useful contacts at the ministry. They’ll be in touch.”

“Do you mind if we ask why you’re helping us?” Remus asked skeptically as they all stood.

“It’s the right thing to do.” Silverling said, smoothing her skirt. “You’re being truthful with me. It’s only fair that I do the same. Do you know muggle card games?”

Harry hesitantly nodded.

“Good.” Silverling smirked at them. “Lord Potter, life has dealt you a tragic hand. You’re doing your best to play it but, without an ace or a wild card, you’re sunk. As a former Gryffindor with a particular Hufflepuff cousin, I’m a big believer in honesty and fair play. My contacts might not be able to hand you the ace but hopefully they can slip you a wild card.” She held out her hand and waited for him to take it. “Oh, I'll also send along the appropriate paperwork that will allow Mr. Dursley to separate himself from his parents, but there are several requirements that must be fulfilled before your estate can claim him in his squib status as an acquired member."

"Understood. Please send me the details and I’ll take care of it in short order." Harry smiled at her. "It was nice meeting you, Ms. Silverling."

She gave a perfunctory nod and walked out leaving Harry with the distinct impression that she had better things to do with her time.

Harry looked at Dudley and began to laugh because his cousin’s expression was one of absolute bewilderment.

“Why would Mum and Dad tell her I was kidnapped?” Dudley asked, his face twisted in confusion.

“Think about it, Dudley.” Harry sobered as he realized the other boy wasn’t just acting. “It was probably the story they told Marge to avoid telling her the truth so they told Silverling to keep it going.”

“What do you mean, Harry?” Sirius was suddenly sitting on the couch next to him in human form.

“Petunia had to come up with a story to explain me and my situation and why she and Vernon took me in.” Harry sighed trying to work up the nerve to finish the story because talking about the emotional abuse he’d received throughout his childhood was never pleasant. “See, while she and Vernon dated she never talked about Mum - other than that she existed anyway. When I showed up...the way I did... She came out with the whole story to Vernon and they resolved to never let me know anything about magic. I wasn’t allowed to believe in it or even say the word... until my eleventh birthday when the letters came.” Harry paused to organize his thoughts. “Marge is a muggle and we couldn’t tell her about the magical world if she didn’t already know so they told her my name and my relation to Petunia but since neither of my parents had a job in the muggle world...” Harry glanced at Dudley who’d fallen silent and was visibly ashamed of himself and his past actions.

“My parents told Marge that Harry’s mum and dad were unemployed drunks that died in a car crash.” Dudley said quietly. “They said Harry was in the crash too and that’s where his scar came from. Harry, I...”

“I know, Dudley.” Harry steeled himself and shook his head. “I know.”

Sirius’ eyes flashed with anger but he and Remus stayed quietly seething.

“To explain my going off to school every September, they told her I was attending St. Brutus’ Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys and, because I was the child of two people who endangered their child by driving drunk, she bought it hook, line, and sinker.” Harry finished the horrible tale with a touch of bitterness. When nobody said anything he lifted his gaze to find that Remus’ eyes were focused on the torch sconce on the wall nearby. 

It was not a calm flame as it had been when they’d sat down but angry and spitting. 

Sirius was looking around whispering in wonder. “I could’ve sworn I heard thunder.”

Korlag looked troubled. “Lord Potter, have you tried to practice with wandless magic?”

“Not since our last meeting.” Harry told him as he stood. “The Weasleys are waiting on us. We should be going.”

“Please try again.” Korlag suggested as he led Harry and the rest of his party back to the room they’d arrived at. “Your bloodline has more than enough potential for it and it could come in handy in a moment of need.”

Harry considered this as his companions filed past him. “I suppose it could also help with the magical side effects of these emotional outbursts.”

“That was something he did?” Sirius asked Korlag.

“Not exactly, Lord Black. Accidental magic is still happening every once in a while for Lord Potter because of the interference of the potions and spells he was under during his childhood.” Korag explained. “Olgok suggested during our last meeting that he try wandless magic as a means to gain more control of it but it appears he was busy with other things.”

Harry’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Between exercising and going through the textbooks from the last four years of school, I did sort of get distracted. I also looked up lordships so I’d be prepared for this, and I want to become an animagus so I did some research on that.”

“Well, perhaps you’ll have some time in the next few weeks to look into it.” Korlag grinned at the young lord, secretly proud of him. “It is my understanding that the founders of Hogwarts could all perform magic wandlessly but Slytherin and Ravenclaw were most proficient.”

Harry smirked. “So it comes from both sides.” 

“It was said that Merlin learned wandless magic from Slytherin himself.” Remus told the group. 

Harry smiled thinking about how cool that was. "Come on. Molly's going to be upset with us for keeping them waiting! I will try it, Korlag."

The goblin watched until they left.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Harry's arrival caused much excitement in the Weasley household. The twins were the first to approach and Harry watched them come closer in horror as he realized he'd forgotten to speak with Korlag about the investment in the twins joke shop. "Mates, I'm so sorry! We were so busy with legal issues and I forgot to ask Korlag to draw something up for us!"

“Can you believe that Silverling lady thought Harry kidnapped me?” Dudley chuckled as he and Remus followed Sirius in his dog form out to the yard.

Fred shared a look with George. "Would you look at this bloke?"

George grinned back. "He becomes an Earl and thinks that we'll forget he's..."

"As human as us!" Fred shook his head at Harry and winked. "You've got a lot to be getting along with, little cousin."

"There's always tomorrow!" George finished. 

Harry sighed in relief. "Alright, then. Let me say a proper hello to your mum, dad and Ron so the party can start."

"Before you do that..." George's smile slid into a frown.

"You need to know that one of your cousins is a right prat." Fred said in a low voice. 

"We don't mean our nifty neighbor." George smirked at him.

"And we don't mean our little brother." Fred dropped the tone of his voice to the point of a growl. “Or the squib that ran away from home.” 

This time Harry's sigh was made of severe disappointment. "I've barely met him. I've heard things, of course. We’re in the same year at school after all...and he was a bit pompous at Gringotts...but I didn't want to make assumptions. What's he done? Has he been rude? Made a scene?"

"You know, of course, that as an Earl you'll be expected to keep better company than the Weasleys." Zacharias sneered at Harry through his wineglass as he interrupted the conversation.

"I'm not really concerned with what's expected." Harry frowned at the other boy while discretely waving the twins off. "The Weasleys are family. There's nothing anyone can do to change my relationship with them."

Zacharias wore a smarmy grin that reminded Harry of Gilderoy Lockhart. "True, but any respectable lord knows that relationships with their poorer relations are kept under wraps while the relatives who are high-born and present themselves with appropriate class are brought into the spotlight." 

The orange shade of Zacharias' blond hair was irritating Harry's eyes which brought to mind the pleasantly pale gold shade of the Malfoy family and then the slightly more silver tone shared by Xenophilius and Luna. He wondered how the Lovegoods measured up in this git's opinion but decided that it wasn't worth contemplating. Harry stepped up close so Zacharias couldn't help but hear but anyone else wouldn't. "If I'm not mistaken, we're in the same year at school. Yes?"

Zacharias nodded, continuing to smirk.

"I'm sure you remember the second task of the tournament since it wasn’t that long ago ...and how Ron was taken for me to save? He's my best friend; practically a brother to me." Harry smiled as the other boy nodded once. He let a bit of fire flash in his green eyes. "However many branches on the family tree there may be between Ron and me ... however many arguments we may have, the Weasleys are more family than you are."

Zacharias' confidence quickly became caution. He took a step back and nodded tightly to let Harry know he understood. 

"Luna Lovegood's parents and mine were friends too... make of that what you will but consider your words carefully the next time we meet." Harry's grin remained sharp edged as he stared the other boy down. "It's really too bad you don't have more respect for others. I acknowledge you as a relative but you and yours will not replace anyone in my eyes nor in the public eye. Must I make it any clearer?"

Zacharias paled, shook his head and barely pieced together his dignity to approach his hosts and make excuses before leaving. 

As soon as Harry saw the arrogant arse disappear through the floo, he went to greet Molly and Arthur. He thanked them for the gathering before moving on to speak with Ron. 

"I heard what you said to Smith." Ron mumbled when he figured Harry was close enough. "I saw it get tense and didn't want anything to get out of hand."

Harry held his breath. 

"We've got your back and it's nice knowing you've got ours but the changes are piling up too fast." Ron's gruff voice rang with frustration and regret. "I'm not abandoning you. I'm just saying that I don't know how we fit anymore. I need time to figure it out."

Harry's eyes closed of their own volition as he took this in. He took a deep breath and nodded as he opened them. "So you don't want to join me for a trip to Loch Ness?"

“I don’t know.” Ron stared a moment. "Do you think it's a good idea - going to a place like that when we're barely being civil?"

Sadly, Harry had to agree. "Well I suppose that's true. I'll let you know when I'm headed back to London for school shopping and such."

Feeling strangely bereft, Harry took himself into the next room to speak with Ginny and Luna.

When asked about her father, Luna told Harry that he'd gone home to write the official article for the Quibbler about Harry's lordship and that he'd given permission for her to join Harry on his trip to Ravenclaw's estate. 

Harry nodded absently to accept the information until he realized that he hadn't asked her to accompany him yet. His eyes refocused on her face just as she winked at him and giggled. 

Shaking his head, Harry smirked. "Who else is going with us, Luna?"

"So glad you asked, Harry." She giggled again and named the twins and Ginny along with Sirius, Remus and Dudley. “Oh, and don’t forget Sigmund!”

Harry frowned. “Sigmund?”

“How do you expect to integrate him to the wards of all of your homes if you don’t bring him along?” Luna grinned; her eyes wide with innocence. 

Harry shook his head slowly. “How would I ever get along without you, Luna?”

Luna giggled again before skipping off.

Harry watched in bemusement and followed in her wake. 

The yard was in chaos when he opened the door to join the rest of the family. George was showing Dudley how to chuck gnomes in the garden. Ginny and Luna were pointing and giggling at his attempts, while Fred was demonstrating his own unique technique. Ron was caught out by his dad while trying to sneak a piece of his mother’s famous chocolate cake before it was time and for some reason, Remus was trying to catch Sirius by the tail while Molly stared at it all in horror as she struggled to keep hold of the tea tray she was holding.

Harry let out a belly laugh and hurried to help Molly carry the tray in her hands.

“Oh! Thank you, Harry, dear.” Molly smiled at him breathlessly. “That goes on this table here.”

Harry sighed as he put the tray in its place and used the next few hours to relish this time with his family. 

His thoughts wandered until the sky began to darken. Arthur lit the candles on the cake as Molly started everyone off on a round of ‘happy birthday’. The birthday boy blew out the candles and left the slicing to Molly as he was badgered into giving a speech.

“Thank you all for being there today to show your support as I took my next steps into adulthood. So much is changing in my life...” Harry’s voice trailed off for a moment as he recognized the echo of Ron’s words and glanced in his friend’s direction. “You know, change doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I’m older; yes...but I’m really just seeing the world in new ways and gaining control of my life. Everyone needs to take those steps one day and it may be that it’s happening earlier than you think it should but I feel ready.”

Fred and George cheered.

“Ever since I rejoined the magical world, it feels like every year is a new adventure.” Harry confided to the group. “That’s all this is ...a new adventure.”

Molly dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief as Arthur wrapped one arm around her but nodded that she understood. The twins pretended to be a marching band with trumpets and drums. Ginny had a proud smile as she dug into her cake and Luna winked at him.

“On the theme of adventures, I’m going to Loch Ness tomorrow to explore one of my new properties. I’m fairly certain which of you will take me up on it but I want it clear that you’re all welcome.” Harry smiled at the group as he sat to enjoy his cake.

“I’m in!” Ginny piped up. 

“Oh...” Molly bit her lip.

“No worries, Mum!” George popped up from behind her left shoulder and she gasped.

Fred joined his twin. “We’re going too!”

Molly gritted her teeth and glared at the pair of them but agreed that if they went, she wouldn’t object to Ginny going with them.

“Well, then Sirius, Remus, Dudley and I will spend the night at Potter Grove and meet you all here at noon with the portkey.” Harry grinned and sipped his tea.

It was near midnight before most of the party-goers became tired and, even though he didn’t remember going through the floo, Harry smiled as Ziva helped him get to bed. “Thank you, Ziva. You’ve been great. You, Tilly, Bisbee, Kipsey and Landy... I’m going to miss you while we’re away.”

“Ziva will miss you too, Master Harry.” The little elf smiled as she brought the covers up. “But do not be forgetting, we will be seeing each other again in London.” 

Harry nodded as his eyes closed. 

/*/*/*/*/*

Harry looked around but couldn’t see past the fog. He took a step forward and managed to make out the outline of a castle but it wasn’t like any castle he’d ever seen. He walked closer to see that there was a large lake next to the castle. A lake he knew very well. Could this actually be Hogwarts? With new eyes he looked at the castle again and then the surrounding area. Hogsmead was just barely visible through the fog. He was quite disconcerted to find that the only reason he hadn’t recognized it was that it wasn’t finished. Indeed, the foundations had barely been laid...or had it been razed? 

Harry looked closer to find that the foundation, which was made of many colorful stones, was broken - worse than broken... it was crumbling. 

/*/*/*/*/*

“Harry! It's time to wake up.” Remus called from the outside of his door. “Don’t forget we’re visiting Korlag before the trip.”

He barely reflected on his dream since it hadn’t involved Voldemort or Dumbledore. He simply got dressed in a set of basic dark blue robes and shrunk his trunk to carry it in his pocket. "Ready! I told Hedwig to find me in a few days!" He called to the others as he walked down the steps into the foyer. "I just need to grab Sigmund and then we can go." 

"The snake on the door?" Dudley asked. 

Sirius was curious as well so he looked at Harry. "How will he be able to protect Potter Grove if he isn't here?"

"Luna said I need to integrate him to the wards of all my homes. She seems to have a sort of seer ability and I feel like I should trust her...therefore he must join us. I'm sure Ravenclaw's castle will have a library - maybe even her private library." Harry shrugged. "There ought to be something to tell us how to do that." He opened the door and took hold of Sigmund. _**"Hello, Sigmund."**_

 _ **"Greetingsss."**_ The snake hissed as it came to life.

 _ **"I need to bring you to a few places and integrate your magic into the wards."**_ Harry explained. 

_**"But thisss isss your home. Am I not meant to protect it?"** _Sigmund asked. 

**_"You will. Somehow you'll be able to protect all my homes."_ **Harry told the guardian snake. **_"I've been told that there is a way. I just have to find it."_**

 ** _"I wasss created to protect you and your family. If there isss some way I can assissst, I will be ready."_ **Sigmund replied before going back to his dormant state. 

Harry smiled at the silver snake and slipped it into his rucksack barely noticing that the lion’s teeth hadn’t closed. "Sigmund is packed. We're off to Gringotts." 

/*/*/*/*/*

Korlag looked troubled as he came hurrying into the lobby. "Is everything alright, Lord Potter?"

Harry nodded but his frustration was visible in his eyes. "Yesterday - with all that paperwork and Ms. Silverling, I forgot to talk to you about an investment I'd like to make."

Korlag took them into the office where the arrangements were made to create a company called Marauders Ltd. Fifteen hundred galleons were set aside to be deposited into the vault dedicated to the company and the transaction would take place as soon as the paperwork was complete. Harry, Sirius, Remus and the Weasley twins would have exclusive access. 

"Take this form and have them sign it. Owl it to me as soon as you can so I can move the money." Korlag's grin was almost dripping with satisfaction. 

That handled, Harry felt free to move on and the group once again left Gringotts. They arrived at the Burrow with plenty of time to spare and Harry made a beeline for his business partners. 

"I have a form for you to sign. We need to owl it before we leave so Korlag can get everything ready by the time we get back from Inverness. He's even going to scout locations for a shop." Harry said quietly. 

Fred and George looked at each other and then at Harry. "If we had a shop..."

"Harry, that's the dream..." George stared in shock. "But mum would be devastated if we didn't finish school."

Fred interjected, putting a hand on George's arm. "So we'll finish but if we had a shop, we could do all our experiments there with the appropriate wards and not make Mum worry the way it does when we set fire to our room."

George began to nod slowly. "We're of age so we don't need permission to buy property and supplies..."

"Lee's dad would probably be ok with setting our wards." Fred suggested. "Lee's going to be working with us anyway."

George started to get more enthusiastic as his lips curved into a mischievous grin. "And we'll be set when we've taken our NEWTs."

"Wonderful." Remus asked, coming up behind Harry. "Are we settled then?"

The twins shared an excited smile and signed the form. They borrowed Erroll from their mother and sent the contract to Korlag. Then they gathered in the yard with the rest of the travelers. 

Harry pulled out the portkey with the sea monster fob and enlarged the ring. "Aright, everyone please take hold." He said and he watched as each one placed one hand on the ring. "Loch Ness monster."

/*/*/*/*/*

They landed on a stretch of grassy land with a shed. There was a sandy beach nearby with a dirt road leading off toward the water. 

Remus took charge. "Padfoot, check the road in that direction. I'll check the shoreline. Fred, you're with me. George, you go with him."

Fred and George gave a mock military salute and headed in opposite directions to what they'd been told. Ginny and Luna stayed with Harry and Dudley. Their eyes were watchful and alert but nobody was around.

Just as Sirius and Fred returned, George was seen jogging in their direction. "There's a boat yard that way. Remus sent me to bring everyone."

"Magical or muggle?" Harry asked carefully. 

"Squib, actually." George reported lightly. "He took one look at me and knew I was a Weasley. Well, actually, he knew my mum's brothers. Anyway, c'mon."

Harry was a little bewildered but took this twist in stride. The boatyard was made up of a large lot of land and a small shop. A one level castle tower was situated at either end of the lot but it was unclear what their function was. 

When he entered the small store, Harry saw the elderly man speaking with Remus look at him with wide eyes. 

"Harry Potter!" He spoke softly with a reverent tone. "An honor, it is!"

Harry felt his face warm as he approached the men. "Hello."

"Conall MacLeod, sir." The man said tapping his chest before reaching out for a handshake. 

"Wonderful to meet you, Mr. MacLeod. I'm sorry to say I'm not quite sure where we are." Harry smiled kindly. "My group traveled here by way of a fairly old portkey."

"Well, now, lad, my little corner of the world is just outside of Loch Ness, which is to the south a-ways." MacLeod informed them and gestured toward the water. "That there's Loch Dochfour."

"Hmmm...I don't suppose you know where we go from here...do you, sir?" Harry asked hopefully. 

"Ye can call me Mac. Nearly all the magical visitors do." Mac said quietly, scratching his short graying beard. "Now, I don't precisely know what yer purpose is... so I can't rightly give adequate advice."

Harry sighed and made a split second decision but just as he was about to speak, Luna came bubbling up to them. "Do you have anything interesting in your files, Mac?"

George followed her closely. "Anything you can't make sense of..."

"That's old..." Fred continued, popping up behind Harry. 

"To the point of ancient being an understatement?" George finished with a wide grin. 

The man looked down at Luna speculatively, not bothering to acknowledge the twins before going over to his desk to meet an owl as it glided in to land on the back of the chair with a box. 

Harry considered for another moment how much to tell MacLeod. 

"Well, I'll be..." The older man was staring at the now open parcel. "Looks like I have some ideas after all ...Lord Potter."

Harry came closer to find that the box contained several copies of The Quibbler which featured Harry on the cover and listed his official title. 

"That boathouse; there on the south edge of the lot? It's warded to the teeth but it's been locked up for a good long while and there's an envelope that's holding a key that doesn't fit any lock in this place..." Mac glanced warily at Luna as he rifled through a drawer in his filing cabinet. "...and it's all listed under an odd name."

"Has your shop been running long?" Harry asked to pass the time. 

"This shop?" Mac asked, his eyes widening as he finally found what he'd been looking for. "My family's been running it since the late nine hundreds. The name has changed a time or two but it's always been the same business. We rent boats to muggles and magicals alike. We also run a sightseeing tour of the nearby loches." He held out the envelope allowing Harry to see the label. 

"Earl N Verness." Harry murmured, shaking his head in surprise. 

"Your title is easily inferred from that, Harry." Luna grinned at them. "Especially since nobody around these parts is named Earl. Isn't that right, Mac?"

"Indeed, lass." MacLeod was obviously amused as he motioned for the group to follow him. 

Harry looked at Remus, who nodded and subtly signaled Sirius and the others. The old man led them to one of the small towers and showed Harry the lock on the thick wooden door. 

Harry shook the skeleton key out of the envelope and into his hand. It was old and made of bronze. There was a bird at one end with his wings outstretched encircling a deep blue sapphire and it carried with it a sense of something about to happen. He stuck the envelope into his pocket but held the key up to show the others before pushing it into the lock.

The door in front of them dissolved from solid wood into an iron gate. As soon as he turned the key completely, the gate opened to allow entry. 

Inside seemed like another world. There was a single two sided dock and in the water sat a beautiful boat that reminded Harry of an old viking ship.

Beside the young lord, Mac drew in an amazed gasp. “That’s a birlinn, that is!” 

“I’ve only ever seen reproductions of this style of ship.” Remus stepped closer to get a look at the dragon head at the bow. “It looks like it hasn’t aged a day!”

The others spread out to see if they could find a way to board while Snuffles pressed close against Harry’s legs. Dudley stared out onto the water in wonder. 

“Found a gang-plank!” George shouted.

Fred popped up next to Harry. “All aboard?”

Harry stared at his new boat. “Do you think we’ll all fit?”

Mac pointed out the oars as George lowered the board into place. “Twelve oars. Should be plenty of room for nine people and a dog.”

Harry patted his ‘dog’s’ head and looked over at George. “Let’s find out if she’s seaworthy.”

“Well, she’s afloat and not listing to either side.” Remus pointed out as the twins proceeded to extend the plank. “That’s a good sign. There must be some powerful preservation charms on her.”

“Harry?” Fred called from the edge of the dock. 

Looking over Harry was startled to see him on the gangplank but not on the boat yet. 

“Something’s blocking me from boarding. I can’t take another step.” Fred told him.

“Come back to the dock.” Harry waved his hand. “Maybe it’s a blood ward. Luna can you go all the way onboard?”

Luna took the few steps forward and was able to stand on the deck of the boat. 

“Alright, Fred, George, let’s see if you can join her.” Harry watched carefully until his entire party was on board.

“Lord Potter, can I be of any further help?” Mac asked, almost breathless. “Ye’ll be needing life jackets at the very least and supplies if yer staying any length of time.”

“I’d appreciate the life jackets, but we’re expecting to find an island, Mac. The portkey I received at Gringotts led us here and it listed Lady Ravenclaw’s hidden island estate.” Harry divulged as he followed Mac to the gate where he pointed out the locker across the lot. He cast Alohomora and Accioed the life jackets which came through the air in a netted sack. “There should be a household waiting for us and some of us are old enough to apparate so we’ll owl you if there’s need. Thank you for your help ...and please keep this boathouse for our use. I’ll pay rent.”

“Dinna be ridiculous, laddy." Mac shook his head as he watched Harry’s black dog drag the sack of life jackets to the side of the boat where Remus brought it over by hand. "T’was held for ye this long and it’ll continue to be held for ye. There’s something I didn’t tell ye before, lad. My family has long been loyal to the Ravenclaw bloodline. The lady herself was the one who gave my ancestor the land and money to build this boatyard. She used magic to steady the shoreline and tame the waters to allow the safe building of the docks."

“That’s...” Harry stared at the man for a moment and then reached out a hand. "Thank you for telling me, Mac."

Mac shook Harry's hand and urged him over the gangplank. "Now's the day. Now's the hour."

Harry handed out the life jackets as the twins pulled in the gangplank and waved to Mac as the enchantments began to awaken. He felt something in the back of his mind click and, as the oars lifted, he was able to calm his friends. "The boat knows where we're going." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now's the day. Now's the hour. - quote from Robert Burns


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold + italics = parseltongue

Chapter 10

Since Harry was so sure the boat would steer itself, everyone relaxed on the benches but Harry wanted to see their path, so he took a position at the bow to appreciated the scenery as the boat cut through the water. A tourist boat waved to them but they took little notice. 

The wind blew through Harry's hair and he smiled at the feeling. 

"What do you think we'll find, Harry?" Dudley asked almost shyly. 

"I don't know, Dud-ley." Harry said catching himself before falling back into the habitual shortening of his cousin's name. "Hopefully, the island will have a shelter of some kind. I'd love for it to be a castle but even a large house would be a welcome sight."

Suddenly, Harry's eye was drawn to something in the water. Was it some kind of magical creature or just a fish? He called Remus over. "I saw something under the water. What sort of magical creatures live under water again? Grindylow, merpeople, kelpies..."

"Kelpies are usually found in Ireland so I don't think we need to worry about that." Remus frowned into the water as Sirius transformed and joined them.

Ginny called from behind Harry. "Murtlap is usually found near water but they don't live in it. Any ideas, Luna?"

"Plimpies? Hippocampus? A floberty gibbet, perhaps?" When everyone looked at her funny, Luna explained that they were just like a flibbity gibbet except that they floated instead of flying. She backtracked with a shrug of her shoulders when the others sighed. "It was said by many that the Loch Ness monster might've been a hippocampus. Some tribes of Merfolk have been known to raise them. Greece is a prime example."

"What did it look like?" Remus asked, watching Harry intently as everyone came closer to find out what was going on. 

"It almost looked like a horse." Harry shook his head before turning to peer beneath the waves. “But it was blue.”

"Harry?" Dudley asked, tapping his cousin's shoulder.

"It was the same color as the water...almost like - but that's crazy right?" Harry asked himself softly. 

"Uhm, Harry?" Dudley asked again. 

"In a minute, Dud..." Harry huffed. 

"You promised not to call me that!" Dudley gritted his teeth. "And we might not have a minute, Harry!"

Harry's eyes snapped over to his cousin's face and then over to where he was pointing. 

"We seem to be leaving one loch to enter the next. I'm sure it’s nothing to worry about, Dudley." Harry said, calmly turning back to consult with Remus. "Would a hippocampus look like water itself?"

"No, but they're able to camouflage." Remus told him. 

"Like chameleons? I didn't know that. Well, perhaps the tales are true, then, and the creature was a hippocampus...” Harry smirked as his voice trailed off.

“Look at the houses on the coast! They're so beautiful!" Ginny called Luna over. “Oh! A castle is coming into view!”

Luna serenely leaned against the railing. “I’m sure that’ll be Aldourie Estate.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to her. 

“Knowing we were coming to Loch Ness, I looked up landmarks in the area.” Luna’s soft smile settled Harry’s surprise but she went on. “Mac said Loch Ness was south of Loch Dochfour and I recalled that Aldourie Estate is a castle at the north end of Ness. I have a very good memory.” 

“Harry?” Dudley called. “Harry, something’s wrong.”

Harry sighed. He was certain it was nothing to worry about but didn’t want his cousin thinking he was being ignored so he turned politely to look in the direction Dudley was pointing.

The small ship they were on was headed straight for a curve in the cliffs. It wasn’t turning and the cliff face slowly got closer.

Harry thought for a moment. He considered several things he knew about Ravenclaw and the wizarding world in general. “Nobody panic! Remember platform nine and three quarters! Dudley, it’s alright; don’t panic!”

“S-s-secret entrance?” Dudley asked as he tightened his hold on the railing of the boat.

Harry nodded and allowed a small smile to form as the boat finally began to slow. It blossomed as the vessel sailed through the illusion of the cliffs without a hitch. Walls of stone were on either side of them for several long moments until they suddenly burst forth into a large hidden cove. “That’s what I was hoping to find, Dudley.” He pointed to the island that dominated the space. 

The castle took up most of the land with the exception of a small boathouse that was a copy of the one at Mac's yard.

The boat moved slowly through the water until it gently bumped the dock.

"Well, let's see what we've got." Harry waved his wand to place the gangplank and walked onto the dock. "Sirius, there seems to be no danger of you being seen here. You can be human the whole time if you want."

The animagus came on land quickly, keeping pace with Remus to grin at his godson and clap him on the shoulder. "That's a welcome change."

The twins came next and then Ginny and Luna joined them. As soon as the vessel was empty, a portcullis lowered into place and the torch next to the door lit up.

It was getting late but the sun hadn't set yet so Harry looked at his guests. "I'll take the torch. Luna, would you like to join me?"

Luna only smiled taking her place beside him as he tried to lift the torch. Unfortunately, it wouldn't budge. 

Remus pointed past them. "Seems like the next one lights automatically when all members of the group reach the first one."

Harry chuckled. "Alright then. Let's go."

Each torch lit up as they passed until there was a path of them leading back to the boathouse. 

"Harry, where's Sigmund?" Luna asked softly. 

Harry frowned at her. "In my rucksack, why?"

"Well, don't you think you ought to get him out?" She asked lightly. "It seems that the raven hasn't got anything to knock with."

Harry looked around for what she was talking about and saw it. Attached to the door by its tail feathers was a bronze raven. The talons were poised as if waiting to hold something. 

He looked at his cousin in amazement. "I have got to stop being surprised by the things you seem to know." He went into his rucksack and came out with the silver snake. **_"Sigmund, do you recall the day you were given to my ancestor? Do you remember being integrated with the Potter wards?"_**

 ** _"I do."_ **The snake told Harry. 

**_"Do you remember a spell or ritual being performed?"_** Harry asked. 

_**"No, the female serpent had soft, kind words with the lion. She told him about the spells within me and as she left, she placed me where you found me. I have been there ever since."** _

_**"My newfound cousin, Luna, seems to believe that, if I place you in the raven’s talons on this door, you will automatically be integrated with these wards as well."**_ Harry explained, showing the metal snake what he was talking about. _**"Shall we give it a try?"**_

Sigmund agreed and became still to allow Harry his chance. Harry stepped up close to the door and placed Sigmund into the raven's open talons causing several things to happen in rapid succession. 

The raven's talons closed and its eyes glowed blue. Sigmund's eyes opened, glowing green. The door opened to reveal a middle aged male house elf. 

"Who be invading the mistress's hidden home?" The elf demanded with his hands in fists on his hips. 

"Hello. I'm Harry Potter." Harry told the elf. "I am a descendant of all the Hogwarts founders and as such, this place is one of my homes."

"If yer who ye say ye are, ye'll have a paper to prove it." The elf glared at him.

Paper? Harry frowned. Gringotts hadn't given him any papers. The only paper he had was ... he pulled out the envelope that had held the key.

"Roody was told but did not believe it!” The elf's eyes lit up and he began to bounce on his toes. “Roody thought the island would be lonely forever!” He hopped up and grabbed hold of Harry's arm. "T’was said that Lady Ravenclaw commanded Roody's ancestor to care for this cove! Roody’s twice great grandfather was to find a mate in the second century of his life and have an offspring that would take care of the cove when he passed. Such was to continue until the heir to the mistress's title arrived. The story has been passed from father to son ever since. When Lady Ravenclaw left for the last time, she wrote a letter on a piece of parchment and transfigured the letter to an envelope. Into it she placed a key."

"The key opened the boathouse on Loch Dochfour and gave us access to the boat that brought us here." Harry turned the envelope over to show the elf the name on the label. "I am the Earl of Inverness."

The elf snatched it away and used his magic to change the envelope to its original state before giving it back to Harry.

_My dear descendant,_

_I welcome you to Raven's Roost. You could not be standing here without very specific knowledge having come to light. I would've loved to see my family share my properties but they were entailed by law to go with the barony I was given early in 1054. In this castle you may find all kinds of interesting things. I certainly did. My hope is that it gives you refuge in a chaotic world._

_Rowena Ravenclaw_

_p.s. Nessie was a lifelong friend. I ask that you keep her secret._

Harry turned to the others who were just as amazed as he was. "Well, that's certainly new information."

"Roody be ever so pleased to greet his new Master." The elf bowed.

Harry decided to nip this in the bud. "I'm not fond of formality, Roody. Please only bow this once... and the elves at my other properties call me Master Harry. I'd like you to do the same."

"As Master Harry wishes." He nodded his acceptance. 

Harry introduced the others and asked after the state of the castle. 

"Castle is being safe and sturdy, Master Harry. Roody be making up rooms when he saw the boat coming. The library is preserved well with glass windows that are warded against weather."

"Do we need to send for supplies?" Harry asked as the elf allowed them entry. He let the rest of his party go in first. 

"Roody has already contacted the elves at Hogwarts for supplies."

"Hogwarts?" Harry was startled. 

"Is where Roody's food supply comes from. Roody is living and working there during the school years and taking care of this castle during the summers, Master Harry."

"Does Dumbledore know that?" Harry asked urgently. 

"Roody is a Ravenclaw elf, Master Harry, not a Hogwarts elf. Roody has no interaction with the headmaster." The elf reported. "Roody only works in Ravenclaw tower."

"Are there any other elves here?" Harry asked calming down slightly. 

"No, Master Harry." Roody shook his head. "Roody is being the only elf descended from the one the mistress assigned here."

"Please begin taking us to our rooms. We'll be here for about three weeks." Harry informed the elf. "I don't mind waiting for the others to get settled."

Luna and Ginny were taken to Helena's suite which had two bedrooms with a shared bathroom and sitting room. Remus and Sirius were given Warin's suite. Dudley and the twins were led to guest rooms on the same floor as the others but as Harry was waiting for his turn he checked on Sigmund. 

**_"Are you alright, Sigmund?"_ **Harry asked softly. 

The glowing eyes didn't falter as he answered. **_"Yesss. The raven isss in the process of accepting you and she needsss my memories to do ssso."_**

 ** _"It might help if you know my connection to Rowena Ravenclaw. I'm from her granddaughter Edith's branch of the family tree."_** Harry told him.

The raven's glowing eyes abruptly shut. A moment later, Sigmund's eyes stopped glowing as well. **_"We are accepted. My spellsss are now part of the wardsss here."_**

 ** _"Wonderful. We'll be here for about three weeks. I promise not to forget you when we leave."_** Harry told the guardian snake. 

_**"Thanksss."** _

"If Master Harry will follow Roody..." The elf led him past a sitting room and the dining room to a staircase. "Master's guests are on the second floor as is the entrance to the master suite."

Harry smiled as he opened the door Roody pointed out. It was a beautiful sitting room with a cathedral ceiling and a view of the whole cove. The bathroom was located at the base of the gently curved spiral staircase which led to the loft bedroom.

Harry sighed in wonder. "It's amazing, Roody. I’ve never stayed anywhere like it."

The small creature bowed again. "Roody believes the master to be happy.”

Harry chuckled. “Yes, Roody, I am.”

“Roody will have supper ready soon, Master Harry.” The elf said as he turned to leave.

“One more thing, Roody.” Harry called. “I was hoping to browse Lady Ravenclaw’s library. Where might I find it?”

"The library is on the third floor, Master Harry, sir." Roody told him. "It is having magical and muggle books in it, but Roody is thinking that what Master is really looking for is the mistress's private study."

Harry's lips curved into a smile. "You're a very smart being, Roody."

"Master Harry is to be coming with Roody." He led the way up the staircase to the painting that faced the bed. It was a seascape which prominently featured the birlinn boat they'd arrived in. "Master Harry must press the hidden button beneath the painting. Once inside, the larger library is also accessible and Roody is sensing that Miss Luna has already found her way."

Harry ran his finger between the wall and the painting and pushed the button he felt. The inside of Rowena Ravenclaw's private study was not what he'd expected. The desk was part of the bookcase that took up one whole wall. The outside wall was just a large window. An antique chair and a chaise lounge were lovely accent pieces and a door was located on the third wall. He opened the door to find Luna waiting with a smile so he invited her in. The two of them looked around for about an hour before Roody called everyone for supper.

Ginny and the twins had found interesting things in the library. Sirius and Remus had enjoyed their time alone. Dudley had napped after some more studying of the books Arthur had mentioned. 

"Dudley, I got to wondering what they might ask us to do so I can keep you with me in the magical world." Harry told him. "I looked up laws on squibs and found a list so as soon as Hedwig arrives I'll be sending a letter to Korlag and my solicitor to find out if it's current and get the ball rolling."

Dudley grinned. "I can't wait!"

"We found something wonderful in Rowena's private study." Luna chimed in. "Her personal grimoire and journals!"

"Well, that's really something!" Remus said in a hushed tone.

Sirius seemed impressed also but only said that he wanted to sniff around for other secret passages.

Harry laughed and agreed to join him in case there were blood wards. 

After their bellies were full, Roody showed them to an antichamber that resembled a sitting room. They chatted for a while but soon enough the young lord and his family headed off to bed.

/*/*/*/*/*

Harry looked around but couldn’t see past the fog. He frowned, feeling like he’d been here before. He took a step forward and was able to make out the outline of a castle. His skin crawled with the feeling that he’d seen this castle before. He walked closer to get a better look at the large lake next to the castle. He knew the Black Lake only too well. 

How could this be Hogwarts? 

He looked at the castle again, closer this time, because from what he could recall of the previous version of this dream, that was more important than the surrounding area. The rubble was disturbingly colorful. He picked up a stone fragment and noticed that it was blue inside with a thin layer of grey on the outside. The next piece of stone he picked up was red and the next was a portion of two stones; one was yellow and the other was green. He dropped the fragments of stone and turned away from the horrific sight. 

Hogsmead was just barely visible through the fog but it seemed unaffected by the damage to Hogwarts. 

/*/*/*/*/*

Harry was trembling with shock as he shot up into a sitting position in his bed. He hurried into the secret study not certain what he was looking for but he couldn’t just stand by and let this happen. Hogwarts was his home. It was where all his bloodlines converged. Hogwarts couldn’t be destined for such a disastrous end. He had to figure out how to prevent it. He’d had the dream more than once. It had to mean something...didn’t it?

He called for Roody while pacing and grabbing random books from the shelves. “How is everything at the school?”

“Hogwarts is being well - to my knowledge, Master Harry.” Roody told him calmly. “Is Master Harry being well?”

Harry shook his head but his nervous energy drained slightly. “I’m not sure...I had a dream ...a disturbing dream.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Are dreams reliable? Am I developing The Sight? Is that even possible?”

“Master has dreams of danger at Hogwarts? Master is due to go back there soon, but...” Roody became nervous and began pulling at his ears. “If there is being danger at Hogwarts, then he must not go back there!”

“It...it’s probably just a dream, Roody. It has to be...” Suddenly reminded of another house elf, Harry snorted in disbelief that he hadn’t thought of the former Malfoy elf in a while. “Is Dobby still at Hogwarts, Roody?”

Roody’s ears flapped as he nodded his head. “Yes, Master Harry. Hogwarts is home to many elves including the two recently disgraced elves.”

“Two?” Harry frowned but then it clicked. “Oh, the Crouch elf is there too? I see...Roody, if I asked, could you bring someone here?”

Roody frowned at Harry. “The wards is only allowing new Wizards to enter by boat or side along apparition with Master.” 

“What if I wanted to speak to one of my other house elves?” Harry wanted to know as he sat on the chaise.

“Master can call them by name as usual and they will be allowed because they be meaning Master Harry no harm.” Roody explained patiently.

“And if I don’t own the elf I want to call?” Harry asked carefully.

“If Master knows the name of an elf he doesn’t own...” Roody looked intently at Harry, who nodded. “And wishes the elf’s presence...” Harry nodded again. “Roody believes the elf would be allowed to pass the wards as long as they do not have ill intentions.”

Harry hesitated but then pushed through the feeling. "Dobby?" He called. 

Roody tensed up until the new elf appeared in their presence. 

"Harry Potter calls for Dobby!" Dobby already had tears in his eyes. 

"Dobby, I need to talk to you." Harry told him. "It's important."

"Roody will go now, Master Harry."

Harry nodded to the Ravenclaw elf. "I'll talk to you later, Roody. Thanks for your help."

"How can Dobby help Mister Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby's hopeful expression almost made Harry feel bad for calling him. 

"I need to know how things are going at Hogwarts, Dobby." Harry said grimly. "I-I've had bad dreams and I'm worried."

"Harry Potter is worrying about Dobby? OH! Oh, Harry Potter, sir, is so sweet and kind!" 

Dobby wailed. "Headmaster Dumbles is being so nice as to let Dobby and Winky stay at Hoggy-warts, Harry Potter, sir. We is having roof and food! Dobby is being allowed to see Harry Potter sir in the school year! Dobby is so happy!"

"Dobby, can I trust you?" Harry asked softly. "I have a secret...or two."

Dobby seemed to calm down. "Dobby is loyal to Harry Potter and Headmaster..."

"Dobby, what I'm about to tell you might change your mind about the headmaster." Harry told him with a frown. He then filled his little elf friend in on the summer's discoveries. 

“Dobby is being sad that Harry Potter is being treated this way.” Dobby’s eyes shifted along with his mood. “Dobby is being angry.”

“Dobby, no.” Harry cautioned his little friend. “If you want to be allowed full access to Hogwarts, you need to pretend. You can’t help me if you don’t.”

“Harry Potter is needing Dobby’s help?” The elf quivered with excitement.

“Yes.” Harry nodded inwardly cringing because he recalled vividly the last time Dobby had ‘helped’ him. “But in order to help me you must pretend to still trust and obey Dumbledore. Can you do that, Dobby?”

Dobby frowned deeply as he thought this over. “Harry Potter is very good to Dobby and Dobby is wanting to say yes...”

“But?” Harry prompted with an encouraging nod.

“But, it is being Winky, Harry Potter sir! She is still very upset over being given clothes and the headmaster is giving us safe lodgings and food...” Dobby pulled at his ears. “He is doing so even though Winky is being a bad elf.”

"And you're grateful to him." Harry said in understanding. “How is she bad?” 

“She is not performing her duties, Harry Potter, sir!” Dobby wrung his hands mournfully. "She is getting drunk on butterbeer every day!"

Harry felt sorry for the poor elf. He knew what it was like to be kicked out of your home and mistreated by your family. "What if I gave Winky a place on one of my properties somewhere?"

Dobby's eyes filled with tears again. "Winky would be so happy as a bonded elf again... but Dobby would be lonely at Hoggy-warts without her. Winky is being like a sibling!"

"Dobby, I wouldn't keep you from seeing each other!" Harry tried to comfort his little friend. "If I didn't know you enjoyed being free, I'd offer you a bond as well!"

"Oh! Oh, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby bawled falling on his little knees at Harry's feet. "Harry Potter is being such a kind wizard! Dobby is being so happy! Dobby was not knowing how to tell Harry Potter that being free isn't all Dobby thought it would be!"

"It's not making you happy?" Harry frowned as he sat on the floor to pat the elf's back. 

"Free Dobby has to worry about food and roof and work. Free Dobby has to take care of Winky but she be spending money Dobby makes for other things on butterbeer!" Dobby blew his nose on a sock he pulled from his pocket. "Dobby is tired and having to do double workload because Winky only drinks."

Harry's frown deepened. "Do you think that would change if I offer her a bond?"

Dobby nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, Harry Potter, sir!"

"Then how about this...I'll offer her a bond and you'll take a bit of time to decide if being free makes you happy." Harry tilted his head to the left to see the elf's face. "If it does, then you'll remain a free elf and my friend. If not, I'll find you a place on one of my properties."

Dobby exploded into a puddle of tears. "My friend, Harry Potter, is such a wonderful wizard! So wise! So kind and generous!"

"Winky?" Harry called, hoping to be heard over Dobby's commotion. 

The female elf appeared in front of them holding a half-empty bottle of butterbeer and wearing a dirty, ripped dress.

Dobby hugged Winky and gushed about Harry's generosity until Harry blushingly stopped him.

"Winky, would you like to be bonded again? I mean, I know you feel like it's my fault you got clothes, so I would understand if you don't want to." Harry told her sadly.

"Harry Potter would grant Winky a new family bond?" Her chin wobbled slightly as her eyes welled up with emotion. "Winky is overwhelmed, sir!"

Harry held out his hand and she took it. "Before we perform the bond, I'd like to ask you something."

Winky looked up at him with a mix of hope and fear.

"No need to worry, Winky." Harry smirked sadly. "There's no right answer. I just wonder why you feel the way you do about being bonded."

She sighed and glanced at Dobby. "At Hoggy-warts, Winky is one of many house elves."

"We be faceless." Dobby murmured nodding his understanding. "Our work be blending in to the next elf's work. Many of the school children are unaware of us."

"Yes...but in her master's home Winky would be one of a mere handful." Winky bounced on her toes. "Her master would know her name and her duties. She would belong."

"Headmaster Dumbles knows Dobby." Harry pointed out. 

"Dobby was called Donny yesterday, sir." Dobby looked at the floor sadly. "And he asked after Wonky's health. We was planning to ignore it because he is quite old."

Harry stared at his little friend. "Do either of you know how to bond with a wizard?"

"Roody be knowing which book to look in, Master Harry." Roody stood just behind Dobby. He led them into the hidden study and found a book.

Harry flipped through with a frustrated frown and tried to put it back on the shelf. "I can't read it."

Roody huffed and pushed the book into Winky's hands. "It is being written in the old elvish language, Master Harry, sir."

"Oh." Feeling silly, Harry just shrugged. "Erm ...Alright."

"There is being a spell." Roody said in a hushed tone. "If spoken by a wizard in a human tongue, it enslaves the elf and they has no recourse, but if an elf speaks the spell in the old tongue, it is a bond."

Harry stared at the Ravenclaw elf and then swung his gaze toward Dobby. 

"Yes!" Dobby bit his lip and tugged his ears to hide his eyes. "It is being a long story, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby's ancestor was willingly bonded to the Malfoy line!"

"Willingly bonded elves don't long for freedom, Dobby." Harry shook his head. "I don't understand."

"For many years Dobby’s ancestors lived happy in bond with the Malfoy family..." The elf explained while wringing his hands. "But then he- who- must- not- be- named rose to power and young master Draco’s grandfather fell for lies and began to practice black magic. It corrupted him and he soon be treating elves differently to how he’d been taught. Dobby’s father broke the bond but Master Abraxas Malfoy found his hiding place and used the spell to enslave. Father to son such tales are passed on."

Harry stared at him in horror. "That's terrible, Dobby."

"But Harry Potter saved Dobby!" The little creature grinned at him. "And now Harry Potter wishes to help Winky! Harry Potter is a great wizard!"

"Master Harry, Winky be ready." Roody said quietly. "Winky sings spell and when she finish you say 'I accept this bond'."

"She's going to sing?" Harry mused. 

"Is the nature of old elvish." Roody shrugged and backed away. 

Winky's voice rose and fell in a strange but pleasant rhythm which gave Harry a feeling of warmth and calm - similar to a breeze going through his hair or a wave flowing onto the shore.

Harry closed his eyes until the 'song' began to fade. The last note sounded happy and hopeful. "I accept this bond, Winky."

With that, Winky's skin took on a healthy appearance. 

Dobby hopped up and down before rushing to hug his friend. 

Roody showed only satisfaction.

"Roody, please find something suitable for Winky to wear." Harry said softly. "Winky, I'd like you to help Roody here for now. I'll find you the right permanent home soon but since my family is in residence at Raven's Roost just now I think we need you here. Dobby, I have a favor to ask you...please stay."

Dobby's head tilted in curiosity as the others left.

"I want you to be my eyes at Hogwarts...at least until I get there." Harry told the eager elf. "I want to know if Dumbledore says anything about me or my family. I want you to look around the castle. Check the wards."

Dobby's eyes glowed with interest as he listened to Harry's concerns. "Dobby can do this, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby can keep Harry Potter's secrets and pretend he likes Headmaster Dumbles."

"Then go. I'll see you in September." Harry sighed and tried to calm his mind. He had to plan two options for Dobby. He wanted things to work out either way the little elf chose. 

At Potter Grove, he'd gone for a run or a swim to relax. With plenty of water in reach, he went looking for an access point and found himself at the door to Sirius and Remus's suite. Just as he'd hoped, his godfather answered and agreed to talk for a bit while exploring the castle for a place to swim. Harry filled Sirius in on his dream and his new elf while they walked the halls. 

Finally, Harry resorted to asking Roody and even though it was nearly dawn, the elf directed them to go through the terrace garden. There, they found a small floating dock and immediately jumped into the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!  
> There will be a small time jump from here to the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to post late. I have a confession to make... 
> 
> Chapter 10 was the last prewritten chapter. I'm now currently writing the next one and hope to finish by next Wednesday but please be patient if I'm unable to meet that deadline. I promise not to discontinue or abandon this story. It means a lot to me and I'm very invested in it.
> 
> Thank you.

Chapter 11

The next few weeks went quickly and Harry felt sad to leave Raven's Roost. Still, there were only three days before the new school year and they needed to get to London. His solicitor had been in touch and everything was settled with Dudley. 

Most of the ministry's requirements were reasonable and easily met without any inconvenience. Forms had been filled out, oaths to keep the statute of secrecy had been made, and Korlag had validated the tests which proved Dudley's blood status and relation to Harry who had quickly and quietly paid all the fees for the process. 

The solicitor had found a school for squibs in London and enrolled Dudley without fuss. It was close enough for Dudley to floo to and from classes while being cared for by the Potter elves. If Dudley needed to go to Diagon Alley, a Potter elf would accompany him unless Remus was available. 

A few of the requirements were confusing or just outright weird. For instance, although their circumstances were benefited by the requirement limiting Dudley's contact with the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Harry wished he knew why it was listed at all...and why in Merlin's name should it be spelled out that squibs aren't allowed to own a wand if they can't use it anyway?

To Harry's mind, that was like saying a horse isn't allowed to own a quill. What would they do with it if they had one? 

Harry's thoughts were disorganized and he shook his head, consciously making the decision to focus on the future rather than trivialities in the past. 

They would take the boat back to Mac's yard and then portkey to London. Harry had ordered his school supplies by owl and most of his assignments were complete. Ron would arrive at the townhouse tomorrow and hopefully they'd fall back into their rightful places. Molly and Remus would escort Harry and the Weasley kids to King's Cross on the first of September and then Remus would remain a resident with Sirius at Harry's townhouse to keep an eye on Dudley. 

"Master Harry's trunk is all packed and shrunken." Winky said, handing it to him.

"That's great, Winky! Thank you." Harry smiled at her while slipping it into his pocket. "I'll call for you in London. Once you've finished helping Roody close the property for the school year, I'd like you to do me a favor and check in at Hogwarts with Dobby."

Winky nodded happily and smiled as she popped out. 

He looked out the window and a feeling of contentment filled him. This could be a nice summer home. He could picture gathering with his friends and swimming in the beautiful water. He could imagine teaching his children to swim in this cove. Now he had to make it happen. 

Harry took a deep breath and turned to face the future. He strode purposefully through the castle and nodded approvingly to Roody as he stopped at the door. "You've done an excellent job caring for Raven's Roost. Keep up the good work and I'll see you at Hogwarts."

"Yes Master Harry." Roody replied, bowing low.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "What did I say about bowing, Roody?"

The old elf answered without straightening up. "Not to, Master Harry, but Roody is wanting to anyway."

Sirius chuckled from behind him. "He'll likely bow until he feels you don't deserve it, kiddo."

"Alright." Harry smirked at his godfather. "I reckon I can live with that."

Roody closed the door behind them as Harry approached Sigmund. 

**_"Ready to go, Sigmund?"_** Harry asked as he made contact with the silver snake. 

_**"At your service, Speaker."** _

Harry grinned when the raven released Sigmund into his hand. Once Sigmund was tucked safely into Harry's rucksack, he and Sirius boarded the boat and felt it set sail toward Loch Dochfour. 

Mac met them at the door as the group finished securing the vessel and Harry was glad to see him but he wanted to see if the man's curiosity outdid his discretion. 

"Hello, Mac." Harry shook his hand. "How have you been?"

"Dinna be havin' me on, laddie." Mac smirked at the young lord.

"Alright. You caught me." Harry chuckled. "It's amazing but it's dangerous for anyone to know too many details about my properties so I can't say much."

"Harry, we're expected soon." Remus reminded him lightly. 

Sadly, Harry knew he was right. He made to hand Mac the sack of life jackets but the older man shook his head. 

"Keep 'em, lad." Mac said as he pointed to a new locker next to the door of the stone boathouse. "I've gone through my stock after giving the newest ones to ye. The others were barely in fair shape so I ordered new for the other boats."

Harry wasn't used to being given preferential treatment. He stared at the man for a moment and made a decision. "Next time I come through, I'm taking you to see it, Mac." 

"Och, keep your secrets, laddie." Mac's voice cracked a bit. "I know yer story and it isn't one I'm wont to get involved in - leastways not more than I am."

Harry nodded his understanding. "Someday."

"Aye." Mac grinned at him. "Alright, then... someday."

Harry took the locker key from Mac and said to expect a visit next summer. "If anyone comes around asking questions...?"

"I don't know nothin', Lord Potter." Mac winked and walked into his shop, leaving them to their business. 

Harry handed the key to Fred and turned to kneel next to his godfather who was currently in the form of a black dog. "I like him."

"I do as well, Harry." Remus smiled sadly. "I looked around when we got here and the yard has a good muggle security system in place and passive wards that I traced to a young witch living a little more than a mile away, perhaps a family member of his. There shouldn't be anything to worry about."

Harry sighed and nodded as he stood up and led the group to the field they arrived at. The shed was still there and they gathered to grab the portkey. "Big Ben."

The tug at their navel took them to an alley that reminded Harry of the Leaky Cauldron's entrance to Diagon Alley. Remus stepped out to check their surroundings and came back with a grin.

"The clock tower is just up the street. We're behind Saint Stephen's tavern!" He said. "Harry, your grandfather was friends with the owner's father. The townhouse isn't far." He led the way with Sirius following closely behind. Harry offered Luna and Ginny his arms and the twins followed him with Dudley on their heels.

A few minutes later, Harry stood at the base of a cement staircase with wrought iron railings. In the center of the white door, sitting just above the gold mail slot, was a familiar black lion head. Its mouth was open and Harry knew what to do. He pulled Sigmund from his pocket and didn't hesitate to place the snake in place. Sigmund's eyes glowed green for a moment and the lion's glowed red as its teeth moved to hold Sigmund in place. 

Ziva opened the door and let them in. "Ziva is so happy to see Master Harry! Did Master enjoy his trip? Please to be telling Ziva all about it?"

Harry smiled at her as the others joined him in the entry hall. "I did enjoy it, Ziva. It's called Raven's Roost and it's a castle on an island!"

"That sounds so exciting, Master Harry!" Ziva held out a hand. "Please to be giving Ziva your things. Ziva will clean and organize while Landy and Kipsey take the guests to rooms."

Harry chuckled but gave her his trunk and rucksack. "I met the elf who lives there and cares for the place. His name is Roody and he does a great job all by himself but this month he had a bit of help because I've accepted the bond of a house elf named Winky."

"Oh, Master Harry! It's been ages since a new elf has joined our ranks!" Ziva sounded excited. 

"I want to introduce her to all of my properties and see where she'll fit best." Harry told his head elf. "Winky?"

She appeared and curtsied to Harry. 

"Did you go see Dobby?" Harry asked. "Is he doing alright?"

"Dobby is finding no problems with the wards, Master Harry, and he is telling me to give you message that Headmaster Dumbles sets silence spells even when nobody else is around." Winky tugged her ear. "He is feeling most discouraged."

"I'll talk to him." Harry promised her before gesturing to Ziva. "This is the head Potter elf, Ziva. She'll show you around and introduce you to the others. The five of them take care of this townhouse and a place in Wiltshire called Potter Grove."

Winky's eyes shone happily as Ziva took her by the hand and popped away leaving Harry to wonder where everyone was. 

Laughing, he called out. "Ziva?"

She came back with her lower lip tucked between her teeth. "Ziva apologizes, Master Harry. Master bedroom is being on the second floor along with Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood down the hall. Twin Weasleys be in double room on third floor. Miss Weasley chose the single bedroom on the third level for sibling who isn't here yet and Mister Dudley be in the largest bedroom on the third floor."

"What about my uncles?" Harry asked. 

"They be in the largest bedroom on the fourth floor, Master Harry." She told him.

"Thank you, Ziva." Harry shook his head. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Ziva considered this. "Top floor is a sort of sunroom, garden, greenhouse."

Harry decided he wanted to see what she meant by that. "I think I've got it. You can go see to Winky now. I'll call if I need anything."

She nodded and popped away. 

Left to his own devices, Harry decided to explore the upper levels of the house. The door he was standing beside was slightly ajar so he peeked in to find a lovely - if small - formal dining room. As he was about to climb the stairs, he noticed another door. He thought it might be a closet but it was actually a restroom. The staircase was steep but sturdy. He was relieved that the hallway was brightly lit and the walls were white or he might be struggling to find his way. 

When Harry reached the first floor, he noticed a short hallway. He found a small empty bedroom with a small bathroom next to it and moved on to the drawing room. A sofa sat facing the fireplace with two armchairs flanking it. There was a desk off to the side and a tapestry hanging on one wall. 

High in one corner, Harry could see Oscar Gryffindor's name. Godric wasn't listed but Oscar was. If he'd doubted the results of the test at Gringotts, this was clear proof that it was true. He scanned for his own name and found it at eye level with James and Lily hovering above him. He jumped a little when Sirius came up behind him and touched his shoulder but he didn't take his eyes off the tapestry. 

"C'mon, pup." Sirius prodded him until he led the way into the hall. Then he turned Harry to face him. "They'd be proud of you and what you've done so far. They'll be prouder still when you get out from under Dumbledore's thumb and figure out what's going on. Now, let's go look in on your guests like a good host."

Harry nodded but remained distracted as they climbed to the next level. His room was wonderful. It had a desk across from his large bed. The two cupboards were a decent size and the nightstands each held a lamp. A small balcony was visible through a curtain on the far wall. Ziva had copied the idea he'd implemented in his room at Potter Grove - a large piece of parchment was stuck to the wall. He chuckled but appreciated it as he might need to jot ideas down during his time here.

As he and Sirius came back into the hall, Ginny was leaving the restroom. "The house is lovely, Harry!"

"Glad you're comfortable." Harry smiled. "Do you and Luna have everything you need?"

Luna poked her head out of their room. "It's wonderful, Harry. Don't worry, my room at Draco's London home is much smaller and there wouldn't be room for a friend there."

Harry bit his lip to fight the chuckle he felt bubbling up in his throat. 

Ginny cleared her throat and pushed him toward the stairs. "Sirius has already gone."

Harry only nodded and moved past the girls to see his godfather standing at the top talking to Dudley. 

"My room is fine, Sirius." Dudley was saying.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, glancing between them.

"I don't think he'll be comfortable. It's like a hotel room in there. He barely has enough room to move around and there's no desk for him to do his school work." Sirius explained. "I think you should rearrange things. The Master suite isn't as big as either of the fourth floor bedrooms but at least it has a desk. The rooms upstairs both have desks and there's a shared balcony."

Harry considered this and looked at the room in question. "Let's go see the fourth floor."

He passed the rest of the rooms on the third floor and hurried up the stairs. Both rooms were wonderful. "Ziva?"

"Yes, Master Harry?" Ziva asked as she appeared. 

"Please move my things to the largest room on the fourth floor." Harry requested. "Also, Dudley's things should be moved to the master bedroom. He'll be much more comfortable there since he's living here long term."

Ziva was distraught. "Master Harry not like Ziva's plans?"

"Ziva, I understand that the house is laid out in a certain way and you put me in the master bedroom because I'm Lord Potter but I'd just prefer to be in the largest bedroom available." Harry explained to try and calm her down. "Dudley would be happier on the second floor with less stairs to climb."

Ziva pouted but agreed. "Where should Ziva be putting master's uncles?"

"The room next to mine is perfect for them, Ziva." Harry told her. "How is Winky settling in?"

"Winky is getting along with all of us quite well, Master Harry." Ziva replied. "She is helping with dinner."

Harry was happy everything was going well so he went to check on the twins and Ron's rooms. "Siri, I don't suppose there's a way to get a Chudley Cannons poster before Ron gets here tonight? It's his favorite team and it might make him feel more at home? You know?"

Remus joined them then. "Your grandfather liked them. There might be a vintage poster in storage."

Harry called for Ziva again and requested that she take a look for any Chudley Cannons memorabilia in storage and place it in Ron's room. Maybe that would show Ron that he still had a place as Harry's friend. 

Harry showed Dudley to his new room and went back up to his feeling content. "Dobby."

"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby said as he appeared.

"Winky gave me your message." Harry told him kindly. "I want you to know that it's not your fault that Dumbledore is getting paranoid. He'll slip up sooner or later; just keep at it."

"Dobby understands, sir."

"Master Harry?" Ziva called from the doorway. "Master's expected friend has arrived and dinner is almost ready."

"Thanks, Ziva. Before you go, I want you to meet Dobby." Harry waved her over to his side. "He's my friend... He's Winky's friend... and he's currently a free elf."

Ziva's face took on a rosy hue. "Hello, Dobby."

Dobby sheepishly giggled. "Hello."

Harry smirked and suppressed the laughter bubbling in his chest. "Where can I find Ron, Ziva?"

Ziva giggled. "Ziva brought him to his room, Master Harry."

Harry murmured a quick 'thank you' and left the room. Eager to see if Ron had settled in, Harry knocked on the door to his room. He wasn't expecting the storm cloud that greeted him.

"I'd just about decided we could go back to normal, Harry." Ron glared at him. "What the bloody hell are you thinking? I told you - you can't buy me!"

Harry blinked. He had to figure out what Ron was talking about so Harry pushed past the redhead and was stunned into silence. 

On top of the bookshelf sat a full team of miniature quidditch players. A signed and framed poster from the 1933 Chudley Cannons now hung on the wall above the bed. The lamp had an orange colored shade with the team's logo. An orange logo rug sat in front of the couch and several pennants were arranged around the bright orange, framed uniform on the wall opposite the poster.

Harry lost it. He'd suppressed too much laughter today. He let himself fall onto the couch and laughed until he was breathless. 

The twins poked their heads in to see what the ruckus was all about. "Harry?"

This started the young lord on a new wave of laughter but he somehow managed to get his godfather's name out and George called him.

"Harry? What's going...on...?" Sirius asked as he stepped into the brightly colored room. He looked down at his still giggling godson and nodded before trying to explain. 

Remus stayed in the hall but Harry could see that his hand was strategically placed over his mouth and his golden brown eyes were incredibly amused.

"So you weren't trying to buy my friendship back...?" Ron asked.

Harry desperately tried to calm his mirth as he shook his head.

"You were trying to give me a..." He stopped to consider the situation. 

Harry caught his breath and spoke honestly and from his heart. "I wanted to give you a place in my home to symbolize the place you'll always have in my life. You've been my best mate for four years. I don't think that's something to throw away without serious reasons."

Fred mimed wiping a tear away from his eye while George placed a dramatic hand over his heart and pretended to swoon. Colorful hearts appeared to fly into the room and circle Harry's and Ron's heads. A glance told him it had been Ginny's doing.

"Did you really think I'd just give you all this?" Harry asked, nudging the youngest male Weasley. "After how much grief you've caused me this last year?"

Ron's frown was a bit less certain than it had been and he glared at his siblings. 

"These are my grandfather's things, Ron. I'm not about to give them away but I want them to be enjoyed and appreciated, so I want to keep them in the room I've reserved for you - my best mate and clearly the second biggest Chudley Cannons fan I know." Harry held out a hand hoping for a shake.

"Alright." Ron sighed as he took Harry's hand. "Maybe tone it down a bit?"

Harry's laugh echoed through the house. "I'll have Ziva spread the collection out. I promise."

Dinner was served and Harry held true to his word. By the time the meal ended, the framed uniform was moved to a guest room at Potter Grove along with the lamp and rug. 

Harry slept peacefully that night and couldn't wait to tell his friend what he'd found at Raven's Roost. 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"So after I accepted the bond with Winky, Sirius went for an early morning swim with me." Harry and Ron had relocated after eating breakfast with the others in the kitchen. 

The combination of greenhouse and sunroom on the top floor was a wonderful surprise. All four walls seemed like they were made of glass but Ziva had told him it was just a transparency spell. Each corner held a small collection of plants and in the center was a grouping of furniture. 

"Wait!" Ron's face twisted in confusion. "Did I miss something? What about the dream? No before that - whatever happened with the thing in the water?"

Harry grinned to himself. Ron's adventurous nature would bring them together again soon. 

"The 'thing in the water' was the illusion spell Rowena Ravenclaw put up." Harry smirked at his friend. "I'm getting there, but the dream hasn't come back yet...not sure what to do without more information."

The redhead sighed impatiently but allowed him to continue. 

"So Sirius and I were splashing and swimming around when something shiny caught my eye." Harry explained. "I signaled to Sirius that I wanted to go down to look at something but he pulled me up and made me learn the bubble-head charm first. Then we both went down. It was a chest made of metal and it was covered in a mixture of seaweed and gillyweed but the locking mechanism had caught the sunlight and it was shaped similarly to the portkey."

"The Loch Ness monster..." Ron whispered as his eyes widened with fascination.

Harry nodded. "So we pulled it up onto the dock we'd jumped off of and opened it up. Inside was a book which turned out to contain an explanation of how Lady Ravenclaw had heard of the sightings of Nessie and came searching for whatever the creature was. She found the place - the cove and it's island. She found evidence of Vikings having lived or at least sheltered there and then she found Nessie who was living in an underwater cave below the water level. To protect the cove and Nessie, she cast spells to make it unplottable and added layered illusion spells."

"Well, yeah..." Ron's strategic mind went to work. "She'd need the cliff face to blend into the shore and the lake water would need to be seamless... From above she probably just extended the trees."

"She did extend the trees a bit but what really does the trick is that she broke a large crystal she'd found in the cove and cast a series of spells on the shards." Harry explained enthusiastically. "Keeping the biggest piece in Nessie's cave, she buried the shards in a pattern around the edge of the chasm from above. The spells keep muggles away and I think they somehow interfere with the muggle technology so they think that area is just forest. That's what it looked like when Remus bought a map of the loch for me."

"Why did she keep the monster rumors going though?" Ron crossed his arms. “Why not give fake proof that the ‘monster’ was fake?”

"The explanation for that goes back to when she received her baroness title which she did by saving the life of the King of England's godson who also happened to be the Earl of Northumberland's heir. She requested land in her home territory and they gifted her with the title and the property rights to most of the east bank of Loch Ness and up into Loch Dochfour." Harry told him. "Well, several years later, Nessie died from a wound after one of the sightings when they chased her. I’d imagine the monster rumors kept the perpetrators scared to think she was still alive and wanting payback for the wound. I’d imagine it was a small form of punishment to begin with." Harry revealed softly. "Also, the rumors are good for the area's tourism and she loved her home so she would’ve tried to find a way to allow the people who lived there to thrive - like Mac’s family. Overall, I think the illusion spell - which is tied to the chest I told you about - is just to memorialize Lady Ravenclaw's friend."

Ron's expression twisted his face. "Friend?"

"I swear, Ron; you have the emotional range of a teaspoon!" Harry sighed with obvious exasperation, knowing that Hermione would've been fascinated by the story that seemed to be confusing Ron. "Nessie was her friend...or maybe like a pet... anyway, Nessie's illusion now only shows itself to people who have magical ability. So, we put the chest back where it was but the spells hiding the cove were incredibly complicated so we copied the book before putting it back and I've asked Remus to help me learn them in case it comes up in the future."

Ron sighed, shaking his head. "I wish I'd been there."

"You were missed." Harry said in a hushed tone. "You're one of my closest friends, Ron, but you said you needed space and I respect that. Being associated with a person who is in the public eye can be overwhelming. I'm still getting used to the title and the treatment I've been receiving as...well - you know."

"Yeah..." Ron stood awkwardly. "I need to finish my erm charms essay."

Harry nodded. "Alright. Talk more after dinner?"

Ron didn't meet his eyes as he nodded and hurriedly made his way down the spiral staircase. 

Harry sighed sadly. He thought of all the interesting things he and Luna had found in the library and the beautiful paintings in the gallery. Several landscapes that had been painted by Ravenclaw herself were hung next to lost Monet works and some stunning paintings from renaissance times. He'd hoped one day he'd get to share it with Ron and Hermione but that was not looking too promising. The more likely scenario was that he'd find a boyfriend and get to share it with them before his friends felt close enough that they could ignore his sudden windfall of luck and power. 

He waited a little while before going down to his room where he wandered onto the balcony and saw Sirius relaxing on a lounge chair with his arms around Remus who was lying back on top of him. Harry smiled, happy that some of his favorite people were finding pleasure and peace in such times. He quietly began to retreat until they called him back. 

"Pup?" Sirius called, not opening his eyes.

"Yes. It's me." Harry answered, coming back out. "Ron's got an assignment to finish so our conversation was cut short. I didn't want to disturb you. Do you know if the twins are back?"

"No. Let's ask Ziva." Sirius grinned eagerly as he began to prod Remus into a sitting position. "I can't wait to hear Korlag's news."

Harry called for the little elf and was taken aback by the state of her attire. Her uniform was wrinkled and the bow she usually wore around one ear was missing.

Harry was instantly concerned. “Ziva, what happened? Are you alright?”

Ziva squeaked as Harry rushed to her side and began fiddling with her little apron’s ties. 

“Are we under attack?” Harry asked without giving her time to answer the previous questions.

Ziva’s face flushed pink and she took Harry’s hands. “Master Harry? Is you having a special somebody?” 

“No.” Harry frowned, not making the connection until he glanced over at his amused godfather who was hugging Remus. He quickly swung his gaze back to Ziva in shock. “Do you?”

Her tiny pink cheeks darkened a bit as she nodded. “Ziva has met him only recently.” She fidgeted and bit her lip.

“Are you telling me...?” Harry’s mind raced to connect the dots. “Dobby?!”

The former Malfoy elf popped into the room causing Sirius to begin laughing loudly since his tiny mismatched suit of clothes was just as messy as Ziva’s uniform.

“Ziva, I’m not going to object as long as you don’t let it distract you from your duties, but Dobby...” Harry sighed and shook his head. “I’d like you to reconsider joining my household. I’d feel better about your safety and Ziva’s if you bonded with my family.”

Dobby looked bashful for a moment. “Bonding with Harry Potter would let Dobby work better for him and he could spend more time with Ziva?”

Harry suppressed a sigh as he nodded.

“Dobby and Ziva could mate?” Dobby asked, ducking his head.

“If that’s what you both want...” Harry paused to look at each of them. After both elves nodded eagerly, Harry agreed. “I have no problems with it, Dobby.”

Dobby began to sing the elven bonding spell and all the Potter elves in residence appeared beside Harry as the song went on but then something interesting happened - Harry felt the urge to call Roody. A moment later he appeared at his master's side. The collection of elves came together and welcomed Dobby into the fold. 

As the spell ended, Roody’s lips curved into a grin as he bowed to Harry. “Master Harry called?"

"It felt like you should be here..." Harry mused. "I don't know why but my magic felt off ... like this was happening while an important piece was missing."

"You is spending several weeks in Roody’s care, Master." Roody explained. "The magic knew that to welcome new elf member, all elves bonded to the master should be together.”

“Why were the Potter elves not called to the Roost when Winky joined the family, then?” Harry asked the wise old elf. 

“Roody's guess is that your bond with them wasn't fully formed. Master spent four weeks in Roody's care. We is fully bonded.” Roody looked up at Harry with wide eyes. "How long is Potter elves knowing Master?"

"Two weeks." Harry said, nodding as he saw this as a logical answer. “Well, since you’re here, please take the opportunity to meet the others. You already know Dobby and Winky. Ziva is head of the Potter elves and she can introduce you to the others.”

At his words, the Potter elves welcomed Roody as enthusiastically as Dobby.

“Dobby?” Harry called his attention and the usually energetic, eager to please elf suddenly seemed calm and more thoughtful.

“Master Harry?” Dobby blinked and giggled, quickly taking a place in front of his new Lord. “Dobby is liking that!”

Harry smiled kindly at the elf. “Anything new at Hogwarts?”

“No, Master Harry, but Dobby is having some new ideas to try.” Dobby's eyes suddenly held a new intelligence. “Dobby will come to you at Hoggy-warts after the feast.”

Harry nodded his approval for Dobby to leave but waved Roody over. "Roody, is there a book about house elves at the Roost?" 

"Many, sir." Roody answered with a strange twinkle in his eyes.

"Please put a few of them near my bed at Hogwarts." Harry requested as he watched his little friend go off with the other elves. "I have a weird feeling I'll need them."

Roody looked up at him with knowing eyes and nodded before popping away.

Fred and George came in just in time to see Roody leave and asked about it, causing Harry to rehash the day’s events. 

“So if we’d gotten back on time...” Fred began, glancing at his twin who picked the thought right up.

“Ziva and Dobby wouldn't have gotten caught." George smirked at Harry.

"And therefore they wouldn’t be mated." Fred winked at his brother.

Harry chuckled. “True but let’s not make a big deal of it, eh, mates? Just fill us in on your meeting with Korlag.”

Sirius and Remus were clearly still amused by the elven drama as they attempted to join the younger men in Harry's room. 

Harry looked around and waved for the twins to sit on his bed while the couple took the small sofa. Harry, then, turned his desk chair to face them and waited to be filled in on the latest news about the business. The conversation that followed made everyone in the room ecstatic. 

Korlag had found an ideal shop location in Hogsmeade and helped to secure it. Lee and his father had been in contact with Korlag and the twins, and the whole reason Fred and George were asked to go down to the bank was to see the site via memory in a pensieve and sign more papers if they approved... which they did. That night they planned to pack up all of their experimental materials and current projects to be moved into the basement of the shop. The next day they'd place the wards. Sadly this meant that they'd be meeting Harry, Ron, and the girls at the Hogsmeade station instead of traveling with them. 

Harry was happy for his friends and wished them well but, since he and Ron had yet to fully patch things up, the twins' presence would be missed. 

They left the room loudly shouting for their siblings and managed to convey all of the information the others needed to know by the time everyone met up in the drawing room to say goodbye. 

Once they'd gone, Ziva announced lunch and everyone hurried to the kitchen. 

Ginny and Luna sat next to each other, giggling between bites until Ron sighed dramatically and caught Harry's eye. "Girls... eh, mate?"

Ginny made a face at him and asked Ziva to bring their plates to their room before pulling Luna away by the hand.

"So Dudley, tomorrow's the big day!" Ron was trying to sound encouraging but came across as awkward. 

"Yeah. Harry's taking me through for my orientation so we can meet with the Headmistress." Dudley confirmed. "I'm living here, though, so I'll be able to say goodbye on the first."

"Remus and I will be withdrawing from the order as soon as we can." Sirius reassured Harry. "We'll make sure he's safe while you're at school."

"Arthur has suggested bringing Bill and Charlie in to replace us." Remus chimed in. 

"What? Why?" Harry objected to putting his cousins in Dumbledore's reach.

"When we resign, he'll be curious and I think he'll start getting suspicious soon after. With Charlie and Bill there, he'll be distracted." Remus suggested. "If that's the case, then he might make a mistake and we'll find out what's going on with him."

Harry considered this for a moment before approving. Bill was a curse breaker for Gringotts as far as he knew and Charlie worked with dragons so they must have some skill. He'd met them each a time or two and figured that he could trust them to take care of themselves and each other. 

"I'll write to them." Harry answered. "I haven't done that since the discovery of my ancestry this summer."

"You've done it before?" Ron asked. 

"I have." Harry nodded once. "I sent Charlie a card at Christmas and I wrote to Bill after your letter came back... just to see if I could."

"And?" Ron asked. 

"It came back to me unopened - just like yours." Harry told him, trying not to be defensive. "Bill would've told you anything I said to him if it got through."

"Oh. Yeah." Ron quietly went back to eating his plate of chicken and rice.

Harry ate his portion quickly and excused himself to 'take care of a few things'. Dealing with the stubborn redhead was so difficult lately. As he climbed the stairs, he realized that he and Ron needed to have another difficult conversation soon. He'd never told Ron outright that he was gay. It also wasn't something he planned to advertise...unless he found someone he wanted to date. Harry sighed as he reached his bedroom and wondered if they'd ever get their friendship back on track.

The rest of the day went quickly as the Hogwarts bound students concentrated on making sure they had everything they needed before the final meal of the day was served because Remus had told them at breakfast that he would make a trip to Diagon Alley for any bits and bobs the next day. 

After puttering around the house Harry became bored. He wished they were at one of the other properties. There was so much that they couldn't do in London. There was swimming and running and flying and Luna had said she knew how to play piano so they'd even be able to dance if they went to the Wiltshire house. There weren't any mysteries to look into here either. He sighed heavily and lay back on his bed until there was a knock on his door. 

He was bored and feeling a little lazy but he still wanted to know who was there so without thinking about it, Harry reached out his hand and made a doorknob turning motion. 

There was a rush of air and to his surprise the door swung open allowing a very confused Sirius to poke his head in. "Pup? What are you doing over there? Did you spell the door open?" He walked in and sat at Harry's desk, noticing as he did so that Harry's wand was nowhere in sight. 

Harry stared at his hand in a daze and then looked up at his godfather. "I didn't spell it, Siri...I wanted the door to open and I reached out with my hand...I made the motion...there was a slight wind... and the door opened."

Sirius stared at him. "That's something to get a handle on then."

Harry snorted his amusement but nodded. "I seem to have found something to do while I wait for dinnertime."

"That's the spirit!" Sirius grinned. "I came to give you these."

Harry reached out to accept a small stack of envelopes. On top was one with a ministry seal so he opened it first. It folded itself into a small man and came to life before his eyes.

"Lord Potter, Earl of Inverness 

I am Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. I'd like to begin by welcoming you to the wizengamut. I'm sure you're eager to do your part and participate in the governmental processes behind the wizarding world. The next session will sit in the beginning of October, but you will receive a formal announcement with the pertinent details. I hope you will feel free to call upon me for any questions you might need answered."

The little paper man unfolded and ripped itself into nothing.

Harry laughed at the pompousness of the communication. "I didn't know they could do that!"

Sirius laughed with him. "It's a complicated variation of the speaking letter spell. He probably has an assistant do it for him."

Harry shook his head at his godfather's sarcastic remarks. "I can't believe he has the audacity to send me something like that after calling me a liar in the newspaper!" He paused and picked up the next envelope. "It's from Professor Mcgonagall. She wants to meet with me after the feast ... something about housing issues."

Sirius gave him a sly grin. "They've housed regular students and they've housed heirs to lordships. Maybe they don't know what to do with a full fledged lord."

"It's most likely the way I got the lordship." Harry's chuckle sounded slightly bitter. "Well, maybe I've got a special suite hidden somewhere." 

Sirius laughed. "It would serve them right. Who is the last one from?"

Harry ripped open the envelope and scanned the letter. "My solicitor. I'd asked him a few questions in my last letter and he found the answers."

"Oh?" The older man was curious. 

"Points of order and how the sessions of the wizengamut work and so on. Nothing interesting." Harry shrugged and tucked away his letters. It actually held the process of getting Sirius a trial. 

Across the room, stood his bookcase. He concentrated on a random book and pulled with a surge of magic. This resulted in the entire contents of the shelf jumping toward him and falling haphazardly on the floor. Harry huffed in frustration. 

"At least the one I was trying to pull came too ... right?" Harry commented as he went over to pick them up. 

“That’s the spirit, pup!” Sirius lightly punched Harry’s shoulder. “A bit of practice and nothing will stop you.”

“I’ll write to you, Remus, and Dudley weekly... like we talked about.” Harry said to his godfather, trying not to get emotional.

“One of us will get back to you as fast as we can, pup.” Sirius sighed as Harry stood up into a tight hug. “I won’t let us lose each other, Harry. I promise.”

Harry nodded and backed up as a knock sounded at the door which opened to reveal Molly Weasley who was being given a tour of the house. 

"Since Fred and George aren't here to look after Ginny on the trip to the train station, I decided to come early." Molly explained with a smile. "I've brought a casserole."

Ziva smiled at the older woman. "Miss Molly is staying in biggest bedroom on third floor and thanks to casserole, dinner will be served soon."

Harry switched to host mode and offered to show Molly the top floor while the elves finished the meal. 

After she asked about his school work and how he was handling the lordship she seemed satisfied. Just after Ziva announced dinner, Molly hugged him. "Please don't hesitate to call me or Arthur if you need anything, alright?"

"I promise, Molly." Harry shook his head. 

During the meal, Ginny and Luna told Molly all about Raven's Roost and she told the whole group about the plans Bill and Charlie had made since coming home from their jobs. Charlie was happy to be home but was hoping to get his own apartment in the nearby town while Bill had been made head of his fellow curse breakers at Gringotts and was looking to find a life companion before choosing a place to share. 

"A what?" Ron asked around the food in his mouth. 

"Honestly, Ronald." Molly scolded as she tossed a clean napkin his way. "You've known Bill was bisexual for years."

Ron wiped his face and didn't notice how interested Harry was in the answer. "Yeah, but I figured he'd pick one eventually and marry them and then he'd have a wife or husband. I wasn't expecting 'life companion'."

Harry felt his jaw clench at the mocking tone and use of air quotes.

Ginny spared Harry a glance but her lips pursed as their mother shook her head at him and treated the room to a rant about being respectful of everyone until they weren't respectful to you, and a person should ask about another's beliefs before assuming anything especially when that person is important to you. 

"Emotional range of a teaspoon, Ron." Harry said quietly as he stood up to leave the room once Molly had finished speaking.

Ginny and Luna weren't far behind him as they followed him up to the top floor. The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes, looking up at the stars. 

"The city lights drown out the stars." Luna commented softly as she sat beside her cousin. "The sky at Raven's Roost was lovely."

"Even at home the night sky shows more stars." Ginny added lightly and, as she took the spot next to Luna, their hands met.

"Potter's Grove is like that too." Harry murmured. 

"Oh, look!" Luna smiled as she pointed out a group of stars. "It's Pavo!"

Ginny smiled at her. "You like that one?"

Luna sighed happily, laying her head on Harry's shoulder. "I do. It reminds me of my uncle's estate."

Harry glanced down at her. "Malfoy?"

The blonde hummed. "Uncle Lucius loves peafowl. Draco and I used to chase the peacocks in hopes that they'd show us their tails."

Ginny giggled but Harry just stared up at the stars. "The Malfoy estate borders Potter Grove."

Luna smiled at him. "Really?"

"How do you know?" Ginny asked. 

"I saw him through the hedge." Harry mumbled, trying to ignore the warmth building in his cheeks at the memory. 

"That's funny." Ginny frowned. "The wards shouldn't allow people to see through them."

"There are many kinds of protection wards, Ginny. Most ward spells only allow someone with power equal to or greater than the caster to see through them." Luna commented, with a slight smirk. "Some wards are able to sense people's intentions, while others detect creature blood."

Harry hummed as the thought turned itself over in his mind. "I haven't told Ron yet."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Told him what? Did I miss something?"

"I have to tell him that I'm gay." Harry answered with a pained sigh. "I don't want him to be blindsided when I eventually start dating boys...men."

"Hmmm, probably a good idea." She grimly agreed. "That temper of his is going to make him difficult."

Harry snorted and began to stand. "I'm off to bed."

"Good night, Harry." Luna smiled as she let Ginny draw her attention back to the stars.

His room was spacious but somehow felt cozy as he settled in under the covers. As he tried to fall asleep, his thoughts turned to the one girl he'd fancied - Cho Chang. 

She was officially Cedric's girlfriend after the Yule Ball and that was the main reason that Harry had evaluated his feelings about his dating preferences. That and his behavior toward his date from that night. Parvati Patil and her twin sister were pretty girls. If he was straight or bisexual, he probably wouldn't have ignored her the way he did. 

He'd realized that he saw things in Cho that he liked and there would be others in the world with similar attributes. She was in Ravenclaw house and was therefore intelligent but she was also kind and helpful with a confident air about her. She liked quidditch and played as seeker for her house team so they had that in common but, in terms of her looks, he found that her slim build and small chest weren't far from boyish.

He'd heard other boys...straight boys... talk about girls and their breasts and knew he didn't feel the same way. Then he'd heard Dean and Seamus talking about sex and male quidditch players and he was easily able to imagine the feel of a flat chest and six pack of abs pressed against his own lightly toned body. 

Now he knew he was healthier than ever before, and with the added benefit of the money, title, and properties, he could probably have his pick of men. Those things carried risks of their own, though, so he would have to be careful to find someone who wanted him and felt that the other things were just a bonus...perhaps someone who had money of his own.

On that note, Harry drifted off to sleep but the next day, he felt like a tornado had hit him. As soon as he woke up, Ziva delivered breakfast to his bedside and while he ate, he watched her pull out clothes for him to wear. He had barely swallowed his last bite when she began recounting his schedule for the day. He and Dudley were expected at Zebrawood Conservatory at ten for a meeting with the Headmistress. It was just a formality which would allow Dudley's classes to begin the next day. When leaving the school, they would floo home for lunch allowing Harry to go to Arthur's office at the ministry where he'd get a full tour of the building so that he would know where to go in October. He was certain that his head would be spinning by dinnertime. 

Harry dressed quickly and hurried to meet Dudley and Remus at the floo. "Ready when you are, Moony."

"Actually..." Molly Weasley stepped into the room behind him. She was dressed in one of her best dresses. Her hair was arranged neatly and her brown eyes held a strange light. "I'll be accompanying you instead of Remus, Harry. When I heard the name of the school, I knew I had to."

Harry frowned. "I don't understand."

"Zebrawood isn't a widely known school, Harry. It's actually got a secret. I'll clear things up when we get there." Molly called as she threw the powder. "Zebrawood Conservatory, Headmistress's office." 

Dudley went next and Harry followed them.

Stepping out of the fireplace, Harry's eye was drawn to the simple lettering on the window of the door to his left. 

It read - Headmistress Vera Prewitt. 

"Prewitt?" Harry asked in shock. 

"That's why I had to come." Molly said quietly. "I have to explain. You see, Mason Prewitt is my 2nd cousin. I'm sure Ron's mentioned him; he's an accountant with the Royal bank of Scotland. Vera is his wife and they are squibs."

Harry looked at her with new interest. "And she runs a school for them?"

"Only a handful of people know about Zebrawood Conservatory, Harry. It's extremely exclusive. There's a long interview process and a long list of requirements to fulfill." Molly told him seriously. "Dudley is only being admitted this quickly because of his familial relationship..." 

Harry's outraged expression hurried her along. 

"Not to the Earl of Inverness, or the boy who lived, but to Edith." Molly smiled. 

"My..." Harry glanced at Dudley. "Our great great grandmother...?"

"Yes, Lord Potter. Hello, Mr. Dursley." A woman in her mid-fifties walked in wearing muggle style clothes. "Hello, again, Molly."

"Vera." Molly nodded to her as she ushered the boys into the office. 

"Lord Potter, please take a seat and allow me to tell you a story." Headmistress Prewitt smiled kindly at him. "A long time ago, this school was founded by Helga Hufflepuff's granddaughter, Gunnora. She'd just been introduced to her own granddaughter..."

"Edith." Harry answered in an awed whisper. 

The older woman smiled with a nod. "This school was created sometime during the twelfth century in preparation for Edith Ollivander's education but it has benefited many other squibs in the UK, as well."

"Ollivander?" Harry breathed; his head was spinning. "My twice great grandmother was an Ollivander? We were so concerned with the founders of Hogwarts being on the family tree that it didn't occur to me to notice the other families that appeared." 

Dudley cleared his throat. "Is that important, Harry?"

"The Ollivander family has been making wands since the second century." Harry informed his cousin. "The wandmaker who sold me my wand was the most recent generation of the family, I suppose."

"Then you've met him?" Dudley asked. 

Harry nodded but it was the Headmistress who answered. "I should say so, Mr. Dursley. You see, every wizard needs a wand and the Ollivander family has many experts in the field."

Dudley blinked a few times as this sank in. "I never imagined... and this school was made specifically to teach Edith?"

"At the time, the interests of one female squib wouldn't have mattered to wizardkind, Mr. Dursley." Headmistress Prewitt told him regretfully. "There was even precedent among the pureblood families, during that era, to abandon or kill a squib if one appeared to 'taint' the bloodline."

"But it obviously mattered to Gunnora." Harry deduced instinctively. "And perhaps, her husband?"

"Gunnora was a widow before her daughter married but Edith's education did indeed matter to her, Lord Potter, and the result is what you'll see here." The older woman nodded. 

"You're married to my cousin. However distant the connection, you may call me Harry." Harry told her as he ran through his memories of the family tree in his mind along with things he recalled being mentioned in passing. "What happened with Gunnora's husband? Warin, wasn't it?"

"Not much is known about that on our end, Lord... Harry. Unfortunately, squibs aren't kept well informed about the activities of such elite persons as the family members of Hogwarts' founders." Headmistress Prewitt shrugged helplessly. "The only reason I know what I do is that each head of Zebrawood has passed the story on to the next in hopes that it will one day reach one of Edith's descendants." 

"And now it has..." Harry mused. "Please go on...unless Molly has anything to add about Warin Ravenclaw...?"

"You already know the important bits, Harry, dear." She answered quietly. "He lived long enough to marry Gunnora and sire Felise but died too young to accept his mother's title or see his daughter marry."

The headmistress gave an approving nod once Molly had finished speaking. "Now, Edith's father was of the opinion that she would be better off in the care of muggles but - when Gunnora found out that he planned to place her in an orphanage - she took custody of her granddaughter and traveled to the African colonies for several years. There were many discoveries during that time and one of them was the wood this school was named for. When they returned she tried to surround Edith with supportive, like-minded people."

"Like-minded..." Harry gritted his teeth. "As in they saw value in the existence of squibs?"

She nodded once and continued. "At some point after young Edith began attending Zebrawood, Gunnora passed away and gave the Hogwarts' Headmaster of the day guardianship over her. Nobody alive today knows the exact circumstances but we know that it was a mistake that resulted in Edith's marriage to a man from outside the magical community."

Harry was outraged. "Is that why the ministry dictates limited contact with the Headmaster of Hogwarts?"

"Yes. Our Headmistress at the time made an impassioned plea that won over a majority of the wizengamut." The older woman informed them. 

"Well, I know you haven't asked yet but as Earl of Inverness, I have a seat on the wizengamut and, as long as your students are well treated and gaining useful knowledge in a safe environment, you have my support, Headmistress." Harry told her. 

"As you're allowing me to be informal, I will afford you the same courtesy, though only in private." Her head dipped gracefully. "What we need is secrecy, Harry. The wizengamut, as a whole, doesn't know what I am about to tell you."

"Why tell me then?" Harry asked in alarm.

"Because of Edith." Vera said simply. "And because you and Mr. Dursley are the proof that she lived long enough to continue the line that discovered the key to squibs' true power."

Harry's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

"Wizards and witches can use any wand with any core to cast active magic. They can cast spells and charm objects and transfigure things." Vera waved her hand back and forth with a light flourish while glancing between Harry and Dudley. "We squibs have a more subtle... unseen magic. We are empaths, historians, and theorists. We have talent in several wizarding subjects as well."

"Really?" Harry was fascinated. "Like what?"

"In divination, we can use arithmancy, tarot cards, numerology, and astrology - which relies heavily upon astronomy. Many potions only require the preparation and mixture of ingredients with little active magic involved. Speaking of ingredients, we have many skilled herbologists in our ranks, although it's quite obvious that the more active plants need active magic to deal with them." Vera explained. "Healing or defense can be performed with rituals or with crystals. But the biggest difference is that a squib's magic is only accessible with a Zebrawood wand combined with a kneazle whisker core, which we give them here."

Harry's jaw dropped. "That's why there's a mandate for no wand!"

She nodded as she pulled out the chain around her neck to display a small wand. "In Africa, Gunnora had witnessed Edith's reaction to holding a branch of zebrawood and sent samples back to be studied by Edith's other grandparents who were, of course, the wandmakers of the time while her father was still an apprentice. When they realized the potential, they gathered the supportive people who helped set up this school, while keeping her father in the dark due to his previous reluctance to accommodate Edith's needs."

"It's so small." Dudley commented. 

"Yes, well, it isn't meant to be waved, you see." She smiled kindly at him. "We utilize our powers just being in contact with the wand."

"That's incredible!" Harry said softly. "What else do your students learn here?"

"Everything." She answered. "All the muggle subjects are taught as well as the magic. Part of the defense training program includes the crystals I told you about but we also have several versions of self defense lessons that they pick from."

Harry's excitement was only growing. "That's wonderful."

"We have a creature course as well." Vera went on. "We only keep owls, kneazle kittens, and crup puppies on premises but we bring in other animals or take field trips to a nearby magical zoo."

"I was taught that crups hate muggles and squibs." Harry stared at her.

"Our crups are born here and have never been introduced to muggles or wizards. They receive wonderful care and firm training from the faculty as well as the students taking the course." Vera told him matter of factly. 

"Nurture over nature." Harry's eyes widened.

"Precisely." Vera said proudly. 

"This is... I'm incredibly impressed. I'm shocked, of course, but impressed nonetheless." Harry shook his head while trying to process this and one detail didn't seem to fit. "Wait. Why - if her father's parents were involved with the school - would Gunnora give guardianship of Edith to Hogwarts' Headmaster?"

"They died before she did, Harry." Vera explained calmly. "She obviously thought he was a friend."

"I see." Harry nodded sadly. Apparently, the betrayal of friends was not uncommon in his family. "So Dudley's classes begin tomorrow."

She nodded once and looked sharply at her new student. "We won't be advertising your connection to Edith, Mr. Dursley. The teachers will know but we don't want to draw attention to the school if we can help it."

"I understand, Ma'am." Dudley said solemnly. 

"There is no age limit for admission to Zebrawood." Vera explained patiently. "We test all students on their first day to be sure they're able to keep up with their age group in the muggle material. Then we give out the wands and introduce them to certain aspects of the magical courses to see which they have an affinity for." 

Dudley was barely interested in the academic side of things. "When do I get to pick a self defense form?"

"As soon as we know the magical courses you're compatible with, the teachers can tailor the curriculum and find the right defense program to make the most of your skills." Vera explained. "For example, if your build was more lean with less muscle or weight, you'd be better suited to the crystals and a form that relies on quickness and agility."

Harry could see the wisdom of such a process. "So, by Saturday, you'll know what classes you're taking."

"That's not quite correct, Harry." Vera told them. "Tomorrow morning, Dudley will be taking the tests. After lunch - which is provided here - we continue the process I described earlier. By the time you go home tomorrow, you'll know what grade level you're in for the muggle subjects. The faculty will discuss each new student on Saturday and send the schedules home via owl on Sunday. You'll speak with your defense teacher on Monday to discuss options."

"There's more than one test?" Dudley asked, now worried. 

"We like to know what, if anything, students know about the magical world." She answered with a kind smile. "There's the test that covers the muggle subjects and one about the wizarding world, covering the last twenty years or so. We update it every summer."

Harry sighed, knowing he was definitely on it a few times.

Vera glanced at him sympathetically. "You might want to fill him in on anything that is historically important from this past year."

Harry chuckled as he stood up. "Alright. Dudley, it looks like we'll be talking about my years at Hogwarts tonight."

"Can it wait till after dinner?" Dudley asked. "I promised to write..."

"Mr. MacLeod?" Harry asked, interrupting his cousin. 

This jolted Dudley with a reminder that communication between him and his mother was not really allowed by the ministry mandates for his emancipation. He just nodded to tell Harry that he understood. 

"Oh, do you know Conall MacLeod?" Vera asked excitedly. "He was here during my brother's year."

"Yes." Harry smiled. "We took a boat tour of the loches this summer."

They chatted about Loch Ness for a few minutes longer and then said goodbye to floo back to the townhouse. Harry ate his lunch alone to think about things. On a piece of parchment, he wrote out a list of things to talk to Korlag about and then another list for the solicitor. 

Before long, he was rushing through the floo again and spinning out into Arthur's office. The tour of the ministry went quickly and with only two small glitches.

The first had been a toad shaped blob of pink who was introduced as Madam Delores Umbrage. She hadn't seemed to find pleasure in either the introduction or the five minute conversation they shared. In fact, Harry had the distinct impression that she hated him. 

After that was an odd run-in with Lucius Malfoy and the minister which happened when Arthur had brought Harry to see the courtrooms. He'd peeked in to see which seats he'd be occupying and had come out to find the eldest Malfoy whispering with Cornelius Fudge about prophecies. 

Feeling brave and slightly clever, Harry had greeted the pair and casually asked after his summer and Draco. Lucius answered just as casually that visiting relatives had made it busier than usual and could he relay a greeting to Luna as this was the first summer she'd spent away from family. It had been incredibly bizarre and Harry felt dazed as he tumbled out of the floo in his drawing room. 

He changed clothes and dinner was served soon after. Over the meal, Harry told everyone about his day and what he'd learned. He kept the school's secret, only divulging it to Sirius and Remus later, but Ron found out that the Headmistress was his mother's cousin's wife. He'd seemed impressed but, when Harry said he was planning to tell Dudley about the last few years at Hogwarts, he became distracted from that and immediately offered to help. After filling Harry in on the story behind Delores Umbrage, Remus scolded him for his stunt with the minister and Mr. Malfoy but Sirius laughed with him about it.

Only as Harry fell asleep that night did he remember that he'd wanted to come out to Ron before going off to school again. Oh, well. He figured that there might be time on the train tomorrow. 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Harry looked around but couldn't see past the fog. When he realized that this felt familiar, he rushed forward and began looking closely at the details. 

He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the castle wasn't completely destroyed. Only a few of the outer walls as well as one key support wall had been damaged but it wasn't irreparable. His skin crawled with a feeling that the earth couldn't be trusted. He slowly walked closer to get a better look at the large lake next to the castle. If a body of water could appear both strong and vulnerable at once the Black Lake did so, which provoked many questions...

How could this happen to Hogwarts? What could the Black Lake have to do with anything? Why did some of the rubble seem scorched? What did it all mean?

He looked at the area surrounding the castle again because it suddenly occurred to him that all the elements were present...well at least they were during the day. Earth and air met between the water and the fire of the sun ...and when the sun was hidden, Fawkes was here for balance. Harry let his gaze stray up to the Headmaster's tower, wondering if a phoenix had always lived here.

The disturbingly colorful rubble drew his eye next and he bent to pick up a stone fragment that was obviously from an intersection of stones. Red met green on one side while blue and yellow came together on the other. 

He almost dropped the fragment of stone as he noticed the coat of arms on the nearby wall. It was missing a piece...the center piece ...the piece in his hand. He walked over and used one finger to trace the open space which felt oddly like he was a child in art class drawing a sun. 

Harry carefully placed the stone puzzle piece where it belonged. It clicked into place, completing the capital letter H and Harry knew just what he needed to do.

/*/*/*/*/*

Harry's eyes opened and he felt the urgency of the situation. A candle flared to life as he hurriedly wrote down the details of the newest version of the dream. He needed to talk this out with someone but, who could he rely on to safely discuss this information? 

Could he risk speaking to one of the adults in his life? Adults hadn't ever believed what he told them - at least not about the important things. To get anything done, in the last four years, it had been up to him to take matters into his own hands. This felt serious and his godfather - despite his name - was usually anything but. Remus was capable of serious conversation but consistently suggested going to Dumbledore when the going got tough. Molly didn't seem able to think objectively about anyone. Arthur was busy with work at the ministry. Bill and Charlie were always away and therefore their reliability was unknown. Percy was a git of epic proportions and the twins were off preparing their business. 

Ron was unreliable right now. Hermione wasn't responding to his letters and this was sensitive enough that he couldn't allow a written copy out of his sight anyway. Dudley wasn't magical in the traditional sense so Harry didn't know if he would understand. Ginny and Luna might be able to have the conversation but they were younger than him and less knowledgeable so there was a distinct possibility that they wouldn't be able to help.

The need for air had him rushing out onto the balcony where he looked up into the stars for the answers. 

"You seem to be thinking deep thoughts, pup." Sirius said softly to keep from startling his godson. He'd woken from a nightmare and decided to sit outside for a while rather than wake his lover. "Can I help?"

"I don't know. I'm worried, Padfoot." Harry turned to look at him. "My dream came back ...the one I mentioned at the beginning of the month. I noticed more details and I need to talk to someone but I don't know who and the implications alone... Well, it could affect...I don't know how many people."

Sirius looked closely at Harry's expression and knew this wasn't the time for joking. "I hope you know that you can count on me, Harry. Even if all you need is to talk."

"Even if I ask you not to discuss it with Moony?" Harry asked quietly. 

The older man hesitated but only for a moment. "Even then."

Harry took note of Sirius' attitude and decided to take him up on the offer. When the dream had come up at first, he'd glossed over it without giving any details. The second time it happened, he'd told his godfather about the general feeling of concern for the school. Harry knew that this time he would need to show his faith in his godfather's commitment. 

He nodded solemnly. "Alright. Let me tell you what I remember of the first two dreams and then I'll tell you about tonight's."

When Harry was finished, he let his eyes focus on his godfather's face.

"So the first dream didn't give you any sense of urgency?" Sirius murmured in a thoughtful tone while fingering his thin mustache. A slow shake of Harry's head was the only answer so he continued his thoughts. "The second one sent you into a panic for information and reassurance from Roody. What exactly was it that worried you?"

"After the second dream, it was mostly structural integrity I was concerned about but I also found it strange that the stones seemed imbued with the house colors." Harry sighed. "It was disturbing to see them damaged and crumbling."

"How was this time different?" Sirius asked carefully. 

Harry thought for a moment before answering. "I realized right away that it was the same dream and that I was looking at Hogwarts. I also knew what to look for because of my previous worry."

Sirius nodded slowly, forming his next question. "So, structurally speaking, what did you see?"

"Several outer walls were damaged along with one major support wall." Harry told him, holding nothing back. 

"Was there anything in the surrounding area that seemed important?" Sirius asked, still fiddling with his mustache.

Harry nodded tensely. "The lake featured prominently along with the fact that the four elements were all present."

Sirius hummed and stood up, beginning to pace. "Four elements...four colors...four houses..."

"The stone fragment I placed into the Hogwarts coat of arms was made of the colors of the houses." Harry said as he watched his godfather's movements. 

"Korlag said that the founders of Hogwarts had wandless magic..." Sirius frowned. "What if he meant...? No. That's..."

"What?" Harry asked excitedly, though he tried to stay calm. 

"I was going to say... but it couldn't be... could it?" Sirius whispered in awe. "Elemental magic?"

"That's what I was thinking!" Harry said standing up.

"What made you think it?" Sirius asked as his idea gained momentum. 

"When I opened the door yesterday from across the room, it didn't feel the way it usually does." Harry told his godfather. "It usually feels like magic is a mental thing and the words and wand are doing all the work but yesterday..."

"What?" Sirius asked pausing to look at Harry's face. 

"There was a rush of air as I reached for the door...and the book too, now that I think about it." Harry said cautiously. "When I woke from the dream just now, and needed light, a candle lit itself."

"What's going on?" Remus asked sleepily, as he joined them. "Isn't it a bit early to be up?"

"Nightmare..." Sirius murmured and dropped a kiss on the werewolf's cheek. "I was just getting some air and then Harry needed to talk."

"Moony, I want to talk to you both but I feel like you still have some kind of attachment to Dumbledore." Harry began. "I should've thought of it before. Would you both go to Gringotts and get tested for spells and potions that may be affecting you?"

Sirius nodded immediately and, although he didn't seem enthusiastic about it, Remus agreed as well. "Go back to bed, Remmie. I'll be along soon." When Remus nodded, Sirius sighed and waited until the door was closed behind him. "Dumbledore has had a lot to do with the lives of so many people, Harry. The truth is difficult to hear and even more difficult to accept...but we do accept it and support you."

Harry nodded tightly. "I understand that, but can you understand that I need confirmation that you're both clean of his influence before I can fully trust Remus? He's an important person to both of us and I want to trust him but..."

"You have to be cautious. I know." Sirius reassured him gently. "Alright so elemental magic...have you felt any connection with the other elements or just air and fire?"

Harry thought about it. "Water calms me...in the dream, the lake was calm and steady...all three times." 

Sirius nodded slowly. "Try assigning the elements to the houses. Maybe that will shed some light."

Harry hummed but set to work. "If we go strictly by color, then I'd have to say that either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff are fire because red and yellow make me think of the sun. Ravenclaw could either be air or water since blue is associated with both of them. Slytherin could be earth or water."

Sirius considered this. "Let's think about house traits then. Gryffindor would be fire due to the volatile temper and short fuse we're said to have. The mascot is a lion and a lion's mane resembles fire."

Harry nodded, getting into it. "Ravenclaw has to be air. Intelligence, wisdom, and wit are things not shown with action. They're demonstrated with words or a lack of action. Also, the eagle is their mascot and it flies in the air."

"Badgers are known to dig tunnels and live in old burrows of other animals. Hufflepuff might be earth." Sirius suggested. 

"In Hufflepuff, they value hard work and tenacity along with fairness, truth, and friendship." Harry's thoughts echoed his godfather's. "That means Slytherin is water."

"Slytherin traits...overlap with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff." Sirius pointed out. "Determination is another way of saying tenacity. Intelligence and wit are among their values as well, and they contribute to the idea of being cunning."

"Another word for cunning is slippery." Harry smirked sarcastically. "My dream gave me an odd feeling of not being able to trust the earth I was standing on. If we equate Hufflepuff to earth and then extend that to members of the actual houses... how much can I trust my cousin Zacharias?"

"Perhaps you need to test him?" Sirius suggested. "Or get an oath of loyalty?"

"Hmm..." Harry mused. "That's an idea. I'll think about that but along those lines, Luna is Ravenclaw and, therefore, air. She's been supportive if a bit cryptic."

"The Weasleys?" Sirius posed.

"Gryffindors in both house and ancestry. All of them have something they're passionately fired up about." Harry smiled as he thought them over. "Ron has that short fuse and a hot, violent temper."

"Slytherin?" Sirius asked. 

"I can't count on Voldie, though he is technically my cousin. I'm seriously considering the Malfoys." Harry admitted softly. "Something about the way the lake appeared in my dream just pushes my thoughts in their direction."

Sirius watched Harry's expression as he was speaking. He knew he could tease his godson but it might undo the trust he'd earned over the last couple of hours. "Don't forget the mirrors, pup. You can get in touch whenever you need us."

"Alright. I'll try to get some more sleep." Harry sighed. "Night."

As he settled back into his bed, Harry heard the sound of his uncles muffled voices as they spoke to each other. Then he heard the squeak of their bedsprings before he drifted off to sleep. 

When Harry awoke the next morning the house was already abuzz. "Ziva?"

"Master Harry's things are already packed except for your school robes and an outfit for traveling." The little elf said as soon as she arrived. "Ziva will miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Ziva. Do you think our bond has completed?" Harry asked gently. 

"Ziva believes it has." She giggled. "Now, the others are expecting you. Kipsey and Landy have been busy in the kitchen. Breakfast is set up like a buffet." 

"Sounds wonderful, Ziva." Harry answered with a grin as he began getting dressed. 

A knock at the door sounded as he slipped into his shoes and it opened to reveal Remus. "Hello, Harry."

"Good morning, Moony." Harry said waving him in.

"I ordered this several weeks ago and planned to give it to you if you had the dream again." Remus said, sitting down at the desk as he handed over a package wrapped in brown paper. "It's a charmed journal. It will add a page every time you fill five, and it will only allow you to see the contents unless you give permission to someone in the spot on the inside back cover."

"That's wicked. Thanks, Moony." Harry said with a smile. They stood and hugged and then they went down to breakfast with Harry leading the way. 

Everyone was in the kitchen when they arrived. Molly seemed lost without something to do but nobody needed anything so she moved the last bits of her food around the plate absently. 

Harry chose his meal and sat at the head of the table. 

Ron was beside him so they greeted each other though Ron had his mouth full. Ginny rolled her eyes at him. 

Sirius grinned at his godson. "I wrote to Korlag after we talked last night. He'll see us today at noon for that test and Olgok is on hand just in case."

Harry beamed at the words. "I'll keep the mirror close." The two shared a look and nodded. 

After the meal, everyone else was rushing around to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, but Harry was at his desk transcribing the scraps of notes he'd taken over the last couple of months into his new journal. His nutrient potion. His dreams. The story of Rowena's Roost and her friend Nessie. 

"They're ready to go, Harry." Dudley said solemnly.

"Ok." Harry threw the unnecessary scraps into the fire and faced the cousin he'd grown up with. "I'm ready too. I'll write..."

"I'll write back. You know..." Dudley offered his hand. "It's the first time I'm sad to see you go."

Harry's eye teared up as they shook hands but he blinked the feeling away. "Thanks, Dudley." The other boy tried to pull back but Harry pulled him into a hug instead. "I mean it. He could've broken my arm that night. You got him to stop and you got me out of there. I am so glad I took you with me."

Dudley sounded choked up as he answered with a solemn 'me too'.

"Now I'm going to go learn things at my school..." Harry said softly. "And you're going to go learn things at yours and we'll be able to help each other...I'll see you at Christmas."

"Christmas." Dudley said with a jerky nod before retreating to the drawing room. 

Harry grabbed his trunk and started to put it in his rucksack along with his school robes, the communication mirror, his lord's seal, his journal, and a quill.

"No, Master Harry! Please to be giving the trunk to Dobby." Dobby protested.

Harry shrugged and handed it over.

"Dobby will be bringing it to your suite." The little elf said as he disappeared. 

Harry chuckled but had to admit that the rucksack was lighter without it. Flinging it onto his back, Harry rushed to meet everyone in the drawing room where they would floo to the train station. He said a heartfelt goodbye to Sirius and waved silently to Dudley before following Remus through. 

Ron tumbled out after Harry and then the others joined them one by one until Molly stood in their midst and hurried them all along. Harry grinned at the sight of a little firstie being taught how to enter the platform by his parents as they waited their turn.

“Maybe it’ll be helpful to see someone else go first, Harry.” Molly suggested.

Harry nodded as she said the same to the child’s parents. “Best go at a bit of a run if you’re nervous. Like this!” And off he went, turning around to wait for the others of his party. Ron came through first with the little firstie and his parents just after. Molly was next and Ginny and Luna followed her with Remus bringing up the rear. 

Looking around, Harry realized they’d arrived early. Hardly anyone was around and the train doors were wide open. “Looks like we’ve got our pick of the compartments, Ron.” 

“You mean you’ve got your pick. I have to report for prefect duty.” Ron said as he made a face.

Harry sighed. “Well, you can help me choose so you know where to find me later...and there’s something I want to talk about before we get to school so...”

Ron fell silent but nodded and looked up and down the train before waving goodbye to his mother and boarding one of the cars. 

Ginny knew what he wanted to talk about so she waved them on and distracted her mother with talk of Christmas until they’d gone.

“You should take the second to last compartment. An elf is in the last one to keep track of luggage and things but there’s no way anyone could surprise you coming from that direction.” Ron said awkwardly, waiting for Harry to say what he needed to. 

“So...uhm...I guess there’s really not many ways to say this...” Harry hedged. “Do you remember how I told you I asked Cho to the Yule ball?”

Ron nodded.

“Well after she turned me down and went with Cedric, I started thinking maybe...” Harry continued awkwardly. “Most of the things I liked about her were superficial and so I really thought it out and...”

Ron sighed in frustration. “For Godric’s sake, Harry just spit it out!”

“I’m gay.” Harry blurted. “It wasn’t her female wiles I liked but her athletic build...her skill in quidditch and her intelligence. By that standard, Cedric himself came to mind and Malfoy and Olliver and even the twins.”

“You like...” Ron was muttering when the door slammed open to reveal Hermione.

“Boys!” Hermione entered the compartment like a windstorm. “I cannot believe you would go against Dumbledore like that! Writing to me and each other when he specifically told us not to! How very dare you? Well? Explain yourselves.”

Harry took instant offense. “First of all, we were in the middle of something if you don’t mind. Second, if you’d read the letters we sent...”

“Of course I read them! I read the Quibbler that Ron sent and the Daily Prophet, as well!" She cut him off. "I can't believe the lies being spouted about our esteemed Headmaster Dumbledore. They're absolutely outrageous! I don’t know where they got their information and I don’t really care. As for what they're saying about you!" She barked out a derisive laugh. "A lord? An Earl of all things! It’s obviously some kind of hoax and you’re just perpetuating it by spreading the lies.”

“My lordship is not a hoax, Hermione! The Prophet got that right. Gringotts performed a blood test, Hermione.” Harry protested. “I’ve also found out that I have money and properties and a title! Oh, and my cousin Dudley? He isn’t a muggle, after all. He’s a squib!”

“What?” Hermione hissed. “That’s not possible! Your mother was a muggle-born and that means her parents were muggles. Her sister is a muggle and since her husband is a muggle too - your cousin is a muggle! That’s what all the books I’ve read say, and that’s what Dumbledore says.”

“Well, it’s not what the blood test the goblins at Gringotts performed says.” Harry growled at her. “Our ancestors on my mother’s side were none other than..."

"Stop lying, Harry! Please!" Hermione sniped as she sat down in a huff. "You are the orphan child of a pureblood man and muggle-born woman. You were raised by your mother's muggle sister and her muggle husband. Your cousin is a magic hating muggle!"

"Harry, I want to say goodbye and get back to the house." Remus interrupted, drawing her attention. "Miss Granger? I couldn't help but overhear your misinformed rant. I attended the meeting with the Gringotts official. I assure you that Harry is telling the truth. His blood test showed his lineage all the way back to the..."

"It showed that my mother was born to a squib of the combined Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw line." Harry cut him off with a cautious head shake. Knowing her as well as he did, Harry could see her running through her memories and book-learned information in her mind. "Each of the founders had a barony title to their name."

Her eyes blinked rapidly. "Even if that were true, you'd be a viscount - not an earl."

"Didn't the paper detail it?" Harry poked her with a fact check. "I was sure Gringotts gave them the full breakdown."

She scoffed. "You want me to believe that Godric Gryffindor had relations with Salazar Slytherin's daughter?"

"Harry, I must go." Remus interjected. "The train leaves in two minutes."

"Alright, Moony. I'll be in touch." Harry answered with a wave, not wanting to watch him leave.

"We're due in the prefect car, Ron. I'll have to talk sense into him later." Hermione snarled as she swept out of the compartment muttering about how much Dumbledore had done for him and that he was being an ungrateful sod.

Ron sighed and shrugged helplessly before following her.

Harry knew he'd found the damaged support wall but couldn't think of a way to repair it. 

The train began to move and Harry found the presence of mind to wave goodbye to Molly as they rolled past. 

Ginny and Luna came to sit with him for the first stretch of the trip and the trolley witch stopped in. 

"Two of everything, please." Harry ordered. 

"Do you really want all that?" Luna asked softly. 

"Well no but..." Harry admitted in confusion. 

Luna's head tilted with curiosity. "Then why waste?"

"But what if Ron comes back and I've ordered the wrong thing?" Harry asked her.

"Sometimes the suffering of one is tolerable for benefit the many." Luna commented sadly.

"Well yeah, but who's suffering? Me or him?" Harry asked sarcastically before sighing and adjusting his requested order. "Two packs of droobles, a licorice wand and a chocolate assortment."

The trolley witch handed over the candy and took the coins before moving along.

"Luna, why'd you say that about the suffering and the one versus the many?" Harry asked gently. "Is it something you've _seen_ or..." 

"Oh, no." Luna smiled and shook her head. "I heard someone say it. Dumbledore talks about the greater good a lot."

Ginny frowned and shared a worried look with Harry. "Maybe we should give Harry some space, Lulu."

Just then the door burst open and Luna beamed at the intruder. "Hello, Draco! I've had the most wonderful summer with Harry!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold + italics = parseltongue

Chapter 14

"We missed you at the manor, Luna." Draco smirked at her as he bowed his head gently in her direction. "I'm happy to hear that Potter kept you entertained though."

"So..." Harry mused, swallowing his chocolate. "It seems that we share a cousin."

"Indeed we do." Draco chuckled. "Though my connection is closer than yours."

Ginny glanced back and forth at them but Luna silently reassured her that all was well. 

"Granted. Now then..." Harry stood up causing a barely perceptible reaction in the blond's eyes. "I really am torn here. We've had a delicate truce since June and you are family of my family so I'd prefer a friendly relationship with you... On the other hand, your family has an ongoing feud with another branch of my family."

Draco's gaze swept the compartment, taking in the casually entwined hands of the two girls sitting among them. "I can see how that would be a problem and although I'm not in a position to do much about it, I shall address the matter with my father." 

Luna giggled as her hair fell over her eyes. "I think we should go for a walk, Ginny."

The redhead blushed as they left, though she gave Harry a look to be sure he would be alright by himself and he answered with a single stiff nod.

As soon as they were alone, Harry offered the other boy a seat. "You came to see me... may I ask why?"

"I think you know why, Potter." Draco's left eyebrow lifted in subtle challenge even as he took note of Harry's new appearance and sat on the opposite bench. 

Harry smirked. "Perhaps I do."

"I cannot believe your bollocks! To boldly walk up to my father and the minister in the ministry building itself." Draco shook his head. "And, of course, he came directly home to question me about it."

Harry chuckled and leaned back resting his head casually on his hands. "That was fun."

"I'll bet." Draco said with a smirk. "Have you thought about my offer, Potter? I made it in good faith..."

"I've thought about a lot of things this summer, Malfoy." Harry replied honestly. "You see, fate had a birthday gift for me this year - a new path for my life."

It amused Harry that Draco's expression froze. "Oh?"

Harry hummed. "I've come into control of my life. After the death of my parents, a certain old wizard took an unhealthy amount of interest in me. Through the machinations of that old wizard, I grew up with people who treated me horribly. With the assistance of my Gringotts estate manager, I discovered my wealth and title in time for my fifteenth birthday. I'm sure you read the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler recently...?"

Draco's silent nod spurred Harry on.

"As the Earl of Inverness, I'm to be treated as an adult which means that I now make the major decisions in my life." Harry informed him. "I control quite a bit of money and have a wizengamut seat to fill." 

"I see." Draco nodded slowly. 

"In light of this new role, I chose to reconsider the choices that others have made for me..." Harry looked directly into Draco's eyes. "Or somehow influenced me to make..."

"Indeed?" The blond seemed interested. 

"Despite all the galleons in my vaults, I find myself in need of something that money can't buy." Harry hinted. 

"What might that be?" Draco asked.

"Your understanding." Harry said softly, gesturing gently toward the blond. 

"My understanding?" Draco blinked innocently. "Mine specifically?" 

Harry nodded determinedly. "Our first couple of meetings went terribly and that wasn't through any fault of our own."

"Do tell." Draco eyed him speculatively. 

Harry stared off to the left. "Just before the first time we met, I was rescued from my horrible relatives by one Rubeus Hagrid - who is quite fond of our aforementioned old wizard. I - a scrawny, friendless, bullied, ten year old boy - then met you - a spoiled rich kid with the confidence to conduct an entire conversation with minimal effort on my part."

Draco's eyes narrowed at the description but he was still paying attention so Harry continued. 

"Hagrid was the first wizard I ever remember meeting." Harry said wistfully. "He was kind to me and you insulted him."

Draco looked down at the floor for a moment before looking back at Harry, but he still said nothing. 

"You boasted of your knowledge of the wizarding world and the school we would both soon attend - including the house you were certain you'd be sorted into." Harry told him regretfully. "I spent the next few hours being told that the very house you aspired to join was the one all the dark wizards came from and that the one who killed my parents was the most recent dark wizard to emerge from it."

Draco's gaze fell to the floorboards again and when he looked up Harry could tell he had taken the next events into consideration. "I then proceeded to insult Weasley on the train..."

Harry nodded. "His family had very kindly helped me get onto the platform and board the train. He seemed to have similar humble beginnings to mine and didn't treat me differently because of my fame."

"Whereas I strutted in assuming you'd grown up like I did and since muggles had raised you, you'd need help making contacts and networking among wizard-kind the way my father had taught me from a young age. I sought to make you feel indebted to me which would..." Draco muttered softly. 

"Lead to me opening doors for you and possibly your family." Harry deadpanned. "I don't hold your ambitions against you, Malfoy."

"Don't you?" He frowned but Harry shook his head. 

"I can't even hold your views on blood purity against you." Harry shrugged. "I know that's what you were taught." 

"Actually..." Draco hesitated. "I know better than that. Blood purity is just a rhetoric that a few of my family's more powerful allies truly believe and we have a reputation to live up to. Until I had a closer relationship with you, I was obligated to act that way."

"So...it's a front?" Harry asked incredulously. 

Draco nodded cautiously. "If I'd said those things in front of my parents or godfather without - let's say - a member of the Flint family present, I would be scolded fiercely."

"Is that why you said it that day?" Harry asked thinking back to the day the blond had called Hermione a mudblood causing Ron to cast the spell with his broken wand and end up choking on slugs for several hours. 

"I'd just been accepted as seeker and Flint was captain of the team." Draco didn't pretend to misunderstand. His voice was tinged with guilt as he stood up and paced. "If I'd been anywhere near civil with the Gryffindor team that day, I would've been removed from my position and my family would've been scrutinized thoroughly by our allies and acquaintances."

Harry nodded slowly as he processed this information. "And now?"

"Now, the Dark Lord is back. Somehow his mind has begun to return to him and my father and godfather are telling me that the Flint family has separated from us, along with a couple of the others." Draco admitted as he turned around to face the young lord. "They were always among the more extreme followers and now that Uncle Tom isn't quite of the same mind, I'm free to be more... myself."

"May I ask what that's going to be like?" The brunette asked gently. 

Draco took a deep breath. "My parents and godfather have taught me the old ways. I believe that muggle-born students need to be immersed in our practices as opposed to their ways being forced upon us."

"So they should be forced to conform as you wish not to be?" Harry challenged.

"You misunderstand so I shall reword my statement." Draco frowned as he rethought his words. "They need to experience our ways and find a balance between muggle practices and magical."

"I agree." Harry acknowledged this with a nod. "Neither side should be forced to conform to the other, but we must gain understanding of both in order to protect them from each other."

Draco nodded eagerly. "Both sides should be compelled to learn about the other but - let's just say - if a person chooses to celebrate Yule as opposed to Christmas, they should be given the same opportunities to follow their beliefs as the muggle-born students."

"There's more than just Christmas, you know, Malfoy." Harry reminded him. "Ramadan and Hanukah... I'm sure there are others but I can't think of them right now."

Draco nodded again. "Yes exactly, but what I'm saying is that people should accept the possibilities of learning something new that makes the most of the magical side of themselves and then make the decision of which to follow after leaving school."

"Hmm..." Harry had to admit it made sense. "I am curious as to other aspects of life. Are you planning to act as the usual absurdly superior git? Will you associate with the same people? Are you willing to hold civil conversations with me in public?"

"I spoke to my father about this very matter, Potter." Draco smirked. "It seems your bold stunt at the ministry has made him curious. Luna's relationship with you and...others... concerns him as he's the head of our family."

Harry recognized the non-answer and remained silent, allowing one eyebrow to lift.

"My godfather has let slip that a few of our classes this year will contain an element of cooperation." Draco informed Harry. "One such class is potions and my father has given his blessing to our possible partnership which would lead to us being civil for the sake of our grades."

"How would your godfather know that?" Harry asked in confusion. 

"I'm sorry, I should've realized you wouldn't know." Draco smirked. "My godfather is Professor Snape."

Harry chuckled with a shake of his head. "Of course he is."

"What does that mean?" Draco bristled. 

"Only that he may have been involved in the plot to separate me from my heritage." Harry frowned. "Due to his hatred of my father, I assumed it was deliberate but the way you speak of him raises hopes that it was unwitting."

Draco looked curious but didn't comment on it as he answered Harry's other questions. "I chose my friends well, Potter. Most of the people you'll see around me believe as I do."

"Harry?!" Ron exclaimed as he burst into the compartment. 

"Seems that it's about time for me to go, Potter. See you in class." Draco smirked as he stood. "By the way, Potter...that thing you wanted..."

Harry's eyes met his.

"You have it." The blond's lips curved slightly. 

Hermione took one look at Draco and made an outraged sound as he swept out of the compartment. "What was he doing here?"

"You're hanging out with Malfoy now?" Ron asked, his lips pinched.

"It was one conversation, Ron." Harry was exasperated with both of them - all three if he was honest. "Let's just get ready." 

Hermione glared at him. "Padma asked me to join her for the rest of the trip."

"Dean and Seamus are talking quidditch. I said I'd grab my stuff." Ron gritted as she stomped off. "See you at the feast." He growled and scooped up his rucksack on his way out.

Harry watched them go and sighed as he plopped down into his seat. Only a moment passed before Harry realized that he needed to change. It wouldn't be long before the train would arrive at Hogsmeade station. 

/*/*/*/*/*

Conscious of the fact that this would be his first real public appearance as the Earl of Inverness, Harry straightened his tie and ran his fingers through his hair one last time before leaving his compartment. 

Ron and Ginny stood at the door waiting for him. "I thought it best to present a united front." Ron muttered. "Ginny and Luna will follow us out."

"Do allow me to lead the way, Potter." The unexpected sound of Zacharias Smith's voice grated on Harry's nerves but he nodded his assent for the time being. 

Smith emerged first, with Ron on his heels and Harry close behind. Just as reporters began crowding the platform, Fred and George surged through them to join the girls and, together, they hurried toward the carriages. 

Luna stopped and smiled at something but Harry just shrugged it off as her kookiness.

"Since the papers announced publicly that we're all related to you, I'd thought it best that they believe we all get along." Smith told Harry quietly after they'd all taken seats. 

"I agree, Smith, or I would've asked you to leave." Harry said matter of factly. "We need to discuss a few things. Once we've settled in for the term, I'll contact you."

"And until then?" The arrogant boy asked. 

"We remain civil in public." Harry said sharply.

"Understood. I await your owl." He nodded formally and fell silent for the rest of the trip to the castle. 

Fred and George said they had news for Harry but wanted to meet after the feast so, as soon as they arrived at the castle, the group parted ways to meet with friends and find seats. Ron remained with Harry but the awkwardness was palpable. 

"So...gay." Ron said grimly. 

Harry stiffened at the words and wondered which way his friend would take this conversation. He nodded once.

"Are you sure you're not bisexual?" Ron whined. "I just...I always imagined us talking about girls together, mate."

Harry chuckled but relaxed a bit. "I'm not confused or something. I know what I'm attracted to. I'm fifteen, Ron."

"I know, but still..." The redhead pouted. 

"Are you certain that you're completely straight? Maybe we'll end up talking about boys together." Harry suggested sarcastically nudging him lightly. 

Ron's face twisted into a grimace of disgust, causing Harry to laugh while surveying the Great Hall. 

Zacharias Smith remained a mystery as he silently watched Harry from the Hufflepuff table where he'd taken a seat near Cedric Diggory. Ginny beckoned from the Gryffindor table to tell them she'd saved seats. Luna was waving from her position at the Ravenclaw table to point out that there was pudding. 

A glance at the Slytherins told Harry that Malfoy was seated with Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. He made a mental note to watch those three.

"Students! Young people!" The Headmaster gestured for everyone to settle down and asked them to find seats so the sorting could begin. 

Professor Mcgonagall entered the room and placed the hat on the stool before going to collect the first year students. Once the little first year students had filed in and formed lines, the school collectively waited for the hat to begin its song but silence reigned supreme. 

Harry frowned in the hat's direction and knew something was wrong but couldn't pin down the feeling as he became distracted by an unfamiliar face at the faculty table. 

Dumbledore finally walked over and put the hat on. Everyone watched as he had a strange encounter with the enchanted headgear. At long last, Dumbledore took the hat off and addressed the crowd. "The sorting hat has refused to sing a song this year. It asks to skip to the actual sorting. This is highly unusual and we aren't certain what it means but we will acquiesce."

The deputy headmistress stepped up and began reading names. Each child donned the hat and joined their new houses. 

Many of the students looked at Harry in confusion but nobody said anything as he applauded each child no matter which house received them. When the firstie he and Molly had assisted at King's Cross Station went to Slytherin house, he stood and cheered for little Jonathan Langford causing a stir among his classmates but still nobody said a word. 

The last new student went to Hufflepuff and everyone looked to Dumbledore to signal the elves but he sat silently for a moment longer to allow Professor Mcgonagall time to move the hat and stool behind the podium. 

When he stood, Dumbledore looked at each table before beginning to speak. "I know you're all hungry and I do apologize for prolonging your anticipation of dinner but I have a few announcements and I know you'll pay more attention now than after the meal."

The grumbling students glared up at him but knew he was probably correct. 

"First, you all know Professor Severus Snape." Headmaster Dumbledore called out as the well known professor stood. "He will be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts this year."

The Slytherin table erupted in deafening cheers. 

"Next...Please allow me to introduce our new faculty member." The headmaster gestured for the unknown face to stand. "He was the head of Slytherin house while he taught here for quite a number of years and has come out of retirement at my request because there is nobody else who could possibly teach potions as well as Professor Snape except the man who taught him... Horace Slughorn!"

When Draco joined his classmates in giving the new teacher a standing ovation, Harry noticed that the blond had removed his outer robe which left the distracting vision of tight trousers hugging slim hips. 

The chaos died down as Slughorn sat down and Dumbledore held up his hands. "Over the summer, you may have heard certain rumors. It is my duty to dispel them."

Harry's lips twitched as he waited to see what the headmaster would say. 

"The reports are true!" Dumbledore spoke grandly. "Beginning tonight, for the first time in centuries, Hogwarts is hosting a lord. Not just any lord, but Harry Potter - Earl of Inverness!"

Most of the Gryffindor table stood and applauded but a few of them didn't. 

Harry stood silently though what he really wanted was to correct the man and inform them all that they were the ones being hosted ...by him... but discretion ruled and he held his tongue. 

"Lord Potter, welcome." Dumbledore smiled down at him before addressing the rest of the students. "Now, Lord Potter will have ministry business as well as school work to take care of. I don't want to hear of anyone pestering him."

Harry nodded formally and sat back down beside Ron and Ginny. 

"Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all that the list of banned items remains posted on the door to his office." Dumbledore told the crowd. "Also, please note that the forest is forbidden to all students and I know that we're all hungry, so that will be my last announcement." With that, he signaled the kitchen and the meal was served. 

Harry watched the professors as well as Malfoy and his friends while he ate. 

It wasn't long before Professor Mcgonagall stood and moved toward the center of the stage. "Prefects, please take charge of your house's first years so we can all get to bed."

Without warning, a breeze ruffled Harry's hair as the charmed ceiling began to rain. An eerie feeling shook Harry when a tremor rumbled beneath his feet and, suddenly, the torches along the walls flared. Harry scanned the hall barely noticing Dumbledore's shocked reaction as he watched the sorting hat rise high above their heads.

"The time has come to crumble or unite! The missing puzzle pieces will soon be found. Sleeping powers awaken when the lost son comes 'round." The hat's voice echoed through the room after a loud crash of lightning. "Choose what is easy or do what is right. Crumble or unite! "

The hat fell limply onto the podium as Harry took a deep breath and glanced at his cousins before focusing on Malfoy. The blond's eyes directed him toward the faculty table where the professors were consulting. 

The younger kids looked nervous and confused but the prefects quickly reassured them and got everyone back into their seats until the teachers could tell them what to do. 

“Everyone!” Dumbledore called for their attention. “Everyone please! There is no need for alarm! Follow your prefects to your dormitories and the faculty will attempt to investigate this matter.”

Harry knew that he was involved somehow. The goblin seer had warned him, after all, that it wasn’t unusual for prophecies to come in groups. Some of the wording in the hat’s prophecy seemed to jump out from his dreams. He needed to write this in his journal ...but he also needed to speak with his head of house as he had no idea where he was sleeping that night.

“What’s wrong, Potter?” Draco Malfoy had sauntered up while he wasn’t paying attention. “Are you worried?”

“A bit.” Harry admitted with a weak glare. “Too many things going on in my head. If you'll excuse me, I’m supposed to meet with Mcgonagall.” He walked over to where the teachers were gathered and attempted to gain her attention. “Excuse me, Professor?”

“Not now, Mr. Potter.” Professor Snape snapped at him with a shooing motion.

“I beg your pardon, Professor Snape?” The beginnings of a snarl lifted Harry's lip. “I’m certain you were in attendance when the headmaster announced that my title was authentic.”

“You are correct...” The older man wrinkled his nose but acknowledged his words with a terse nod. “Lord Potter... I apologise for my lapse, but you can see - I’m sure - that we are occupied with this...”

“Your lapse in manners is forgiven.” Harry interrupted, adopting an officious air. “If you wish me out of your way, however, I must speak with my head of house as there was some housing issue and I don’t know where to go.”

“Oh...” Mcgonagall looked over at them. “I'm terribly sorry, Lord Potter...in this confusion, I forgot. I’ll have to explain later, but lords do not share quarters. Dobby!”

A moment later, Dobby appeared. “Yes, Professor?”

“Please take Lord Potter to his rooms.” She requested. “I’ll be up in a while to confer with him.”

Dobby bowed and asked Harry to follow him.

Once out of the teachers’ earshot Harry greeted his little friend warmly. “How are things, Dobby?”

“Dobby has not witnessed any changes yet, Master Harry, but he is watching in hopes that the headmaster Dumbles is sure to being distracted with this strange prophecy.” 

“That’s true.” Harry nodded. “Now, where are you taking me?”

Dobby chuckled which turned into a fit of giggles. “Did Master Harry forget who he is descended from?”

“Of course not, Dobby.” Harry frowned but realised that the little being obviously knew something he didn’t.

“Perhaps Master Harry simply didn’t think the founders would prepare for the arrival of their heir?” 

“I’m fairly certain that only one of them would’ve known to expect one.” Harry said lightly. 

"It was being bound to happen eventually, Master Harry, since many magical beings marry and breed with each other. The possibility was being prepared for." Dobby shook his head, still laughing. 

"What does that have to do with anything, Dobby?" Harry asked tiredly.

"Silly, master - there is being a suite reserved for the founders' combined heir. It was magically sealed many years ago and a statue blocked it. When Master Harry accepted the title, the statue disappeared, revealing the door." Dobby detailed the domino effect as they turned a corner. "The elves reported to the deputy head of the school that a new and mysterious suite of rooms had been found." 

"Mcgonagall must've seen the papers and put it together." Harry nodded thoughtfully. 

"Indeed, Lord Potter." Snape's voice made Harry stiffen in surprise as the older man came out from behind a tapestry. "The Headmaster needed Professor Mcgonagall's assistance so I was sent to explain." He sniffed with disinterest. "She will meet with you in the morning after breakfast."

Harry gritted his teeth but politely accepted the news with a nod. 

"The suite is close by." Snape looked down at Dobby. "Elf - go start the fire. I will have him there in a moment."

Dobby glanced at Harry for confirmation before popping off.

"Walk this way." Snape walked down the hall at a brisk pace. "As Minerva said earlier, lords do not share quarters. You're suite does have several bedrooms, though, along with a large combination office and sitting room. It is also equipped with its own owlry and floo-call only fireplace."

"Several bedrooms?" Harry asked in a low murmur. "Interesting..."

"Perhaps the magic was assuming you had siblings." Snape suggested callously.

Harry held his tongue. "A floo-call connection will be convenient when the wizengamut is in session and I need to speak with other members."

"Yes, yes. You're very important." Snape sneered. "Let's get you settled...my lord."

Not another word was spoken until they reached an archway that framed a door. The arch was simple stone with a rounded top and no carvings. The door reminded him of the one at Mac's boatyard - solid wood with an old key lock.

Harry tried to remember if he'd ever been in this part of the castle before and very much doubted it. He stepped closer and that's when he saw it.

A circular impression surrounding three smaller circles. Looking closer, Harry was able to make out a lion's paw print, a badger's claw mark and the talon mark of a bird - probably an eagle. 

Harry hesitated to allow Snape to see Sigmund but couldn't think of a way around it ... unless...

"Is there a key?" Harry asked his teacher. 

"We searched the records and found only a mention of a way in." Snape's lips became pinched. "The Headmaster has an emergency password but your access was only hinted at."

"And what was the hint, if you'd be so kind, Professor?" Harry asked innocently. 

"Two nests, one bird." Snape huffed. 

"Ah!" Harry pulled his rucksack off and searched until he found the key from Mac's boatyard. The key went in smoothly and turned. The door opened to admit them and Harry faced his surprised teacher. "Thank you, professor. I'll see you in class. I have to admit, I'm sad that I won't get to show you my new understanding of potions. I spent quite a bit of time going over it during the summer." Harry nodded to him and went inside when there was no answer. 

After shutting the door, Harry waited to hear footsteps leaving his door. As soon as silence reigned, he opened it back up and pulled Sigmund out of his rucksack. 

**_"Sigmund, we're at Hogwarts. Look what is on the door to my suite."_** Harry held the metal snake out to show him. 

**_"I sssee. How interesssting..."_** Sigmund answered. **_"Perhapsss if I am placed around the othersss..."_**

**_"That's what I thought also."_** Harry said, already reaching out to place him.

Sigmund's eyes began to glow as he travelled the path given to him. ** _"My spellsss have been joined to the castle'sss own."_**

**_"Wonderful!"_** Harry grinned and entered the suite feeling much safer than before. "Dobby, please let Ziva and the others know that I've arrived safely and I'm settling in just fine. Don't mention the hat's strange behavior. I'll use the mirror before I go to bed."

Dobby protested. "But Dobby must show you around the suite!"

"Don't worry, Dobby. I'll find everything alright myself." Harry smiled at him.

Dobby bowed grudgingly before popping out, leaving Harry to sigh with relief at the silence. 

The entryway led directly into the sitting room where he could see a cozy looking sofa and a pair of armchairs surrounding an elegant coffee table and fireplace. As he walked further into the room, a desk was visible along with a tall bookcase. A large antique vase sat between the bookcase and the arch leading onward but Harry barely glanced at it as he walked through. 

There was a bathroom and five doors which he guessed led to bedrooms. He opened each door in turn and discovered two dormitory style rooms, along with a guest room and the owlry before coming upon his own bedroom. 

Hedwig was already on her perch and she fluttered her wings when she saw him peek in.

Harry gave her a treat and a pat before going back to his room. He wasn't surprised to find that Dobby had arranged his room the same way as the London suite. Everything was just where he thought it would be so he sat on his bed and pulled out his mirror. 

"Sirius Black!" He called. 

A moment later, Sirius and Remus both appeared in his sight. "Hiya, pup." 

"Hey. So how did it go?" Harry wanted to know. 

"They found something on both of us, Harry." Remus told him sadly. "Sirius had a mail diversion spell along with a couple of compulsion spells and one that was supposed to affect his mind."

"It gave me the nightmares that night because I hadn't spent much time in my old house." Sirius explained. "Olgok got rid of the spells on me easily. Remus's are a little more difficult."

A sad smile came to Remus's face. "Because of the lycanthropy the spells on me are more resistant to Olgok's methods. He has recommended that we perform a ritual on the next new moon."

"When the wolf is at its weakest..." Harry murmured recalling this from his third year. "Oh, but that's not until the end of the month!" 

"It's nothing dangerous, Harry." Remus assured him gently. "I'll avoid him as much as possible so the compulsion spells don't take effect."

Harry nodded sadly. "How is Dudley? I hope he's doing alright."

"We'll let him tell you." Sirius grinned as he turned the mirror to face Harry's cousin. 

"Hi, Harry!" Dudley had a big smile on his face. 

"How was your day?" Harry asked, genuinely interested. "Were the tests difficult?"

"I didn't know much about the magical world but the things you told me last night helped a lot." Dudley told him. "The best news is that I'm able to stay with the kids my age."

"That's great, Dudley! I'm really happy for you." Harry was relieved. "Now, I want to let you all know what's going on."

"Remus told us about Hermione." Sirius told him, shaking his head. 

"Yes. That was a difficult situation you walked into on the train." Harry winced. "On a lighter note, I came out to Ron. He wasn't entirely happy with me being gay but he wasn't openly hostile about it either."

"Interesting." Sirius grinned. 

"More interesting things to come in this conversation..." Harry chuckled. "Draco Malfoy stopped in during the train ride. It seems that we've all had the wool pulled over our eyes."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"He confessed that his family has been putting up a front to keep their true beliefs a secret from some of their allies." Harry explained. "They raised him to believe that blood purity wasn't important but preventing dilution of the old traditions was. What's more, he said that Snape is his godfather and his beliefs run along the same lines."

Sirius hummed thoughtfully in the background as Remus replied. "But if he told you that, does that mean they're abandoning the idea of hiding it?"

"He mentioned that someone else was involved with his childhood and the way he was raised..." Harry hinted. "His Uncle Tom."

Remus and Sirius shared a look. 

"And Uncle Tom has apparently changed his stance on certain matters. Seems he'd gone a bit mad in recent years but he's regaining his sanity little by little." Harry informed them. "The more radical blood purists have split from them and I can expect a civil if not cordial relationship with the Malfoy family."

"That really is something..." Remus murmured to a nodding Sirius. "Does this mean Snape will be civil, too?"

"I'm not sure. I'll get to him in a minute. So at the feast, the hat refused to sing before the sorting. Then, at the end of dinner, it gave a prophecy." He quoted it for them and waited as Sirius and Remus each handed a sickle to Dudley. "And what's that about?"

"They said that with your new status and money and stuff you'd have a more normal school year than the previous ones." Dudley laughed. "I bet them each a sickle and won."

Harry glared playfully at his uncles. "Bad influences! The both of you!"

"What did Minnie want?" Sirius asked his godson when they all finished laughing.

"Oh, she got caught up in Dumbledore's prophecy investigation and had to postpone our meeting until the morning but I think it's safe to say that it had something to do with my new housing situation." Harry explained his conversation with Snape and then described the door and riddle of how to gain access. "I didn't bring Sigmund out until I was sure Snape had gone, but he's on the door now and he says his wards are integrated with Hogwarts." Then, he described the suite. 

"Maybe the dormitory style rooms were originally meant for siblings but it's just as likely that a lord would want his closest allies with him." Sirius suggested. "Ask Minnie about it and see what she says."

"I will. Now, let's agree that we'll talk by mirror every week. Is Saturday alright?" Harry asked. 

"Yeah, but don't you want to know what happens on Monday?" Dudley asked. 

"You can write to me or, since it's a special circumstance, you can call by floo or mirror that night." Harry grinned at him. 

"Saturday night mirror calls and mirror or floo for special circumstances." Dudley nodded with a smile. "Got it. Good night, Harry!"

"Night, Dudley." Harry grinned. "Goodnight, Padfoot...Moony."

His uncles smiled and Harry sighed as the image faded. He started to get ready for bed but suddenly realized he hadn't written down the hat's prophecy yet. Pulling out his journal, he did exactly that. He added notes on his Hufflepuff cousin's behavior as well. 

"What is Master Harry doing still awake? I is doing a terrible job of taking care of him! Ziva will being upset with Dobby if Master Harry isn't getting his rest!"

"It's alright, Dobby. I'm finished and going to bed now." Harry chuckled. 

Dobby watched over Harry as he performed his self-care routine and only popped away when Harry covered himself with the blanket. 

No dreams disturbed the young lord's rest that night and he awoke calm and refreshed.

When he'd dressed for breakfast, he pulled out some stationary and wrote out three notes asking his cousins to join him for tea this afternoon. By then, he figured, he'd have something to tell them and he needed to talk to Zacharias anyway. 

The great hall was just as crowded as the night before but the students cleared the way as he strolled along. He dropped a not in front of each cousin before heading to the Gryffindor table and giving the last one to Ron.

"Lord Potter, I've taken the liberty of asking an elf to prepare a plate for you." Professor Mcgonagall told him. "Please join me in my office."

Harry nodded formally and patted Ron's shoulder as he followed her out. "See you later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update! Thanks for sticking with me! 
> 
> Lori


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Harry followed his head of house into her office and took a seat when she offered it. 

A small table appeared in front of him and after a moment, an elf popped in with a dish of flapjacks and an assortment of fruit. Harry topped his breakfast with berries and took the bull by the horns...or rather, the lion by the mane.

"Professor, before we start, I'd like to say that I appreciate you using my title in public... but in private, please feel free to be informal with me." Harry told her, quietly using his fork to cut his flapjacks. "You're my head of house and you know me well and you knew my parents. I don't want the title to come between us."

Mcgonagall allowed her lips to curve slightly as she looked at him. "I'd hoped that your new status wouldn't affect your behavior too much."

"Oh, it's affecting quite a bit of my behavior, Professor." Harry said proudly as he slipped a small triangle between his lips. "It's made me grow up...more than a kid my age usually has to."

"How do you mean?" She asked while he squeezed a lemon wedge into his tea. 

"I spent my time this summer worrying over my health and going over the textbooks from the last four years." He explained and then took a sip. "Oh, I went swimming, practiced quidditch, and had fun too but I'm caught up in all my subjects. I've become a business investor... I'm thinking about the future."

"I see." Mcgonagall's small smile didn't leave her face but Harry could tell that she wasn't as happy about that as he was. "Your father didn't start maturing that way until the middle of his sixth year. It was around that time that your grandfather took sick and James had to think about what would happen if he died."

"Oh?" Harry frowned. He'd never heard that story before. 

"Your grandfather recovered but not for long and when he did pass away it was just after James graduated from Hogwarts." She explained. "Your grandmother passed not long after him and James handled it as well as he could. He got a job as an auror and the barony would've conflicted with that so he followed the advice of many people and put it off for a few years. He and Lily married and had you...you know the rest."

"Do I?" Harry murmured, momentarily flashing back to the graveyard with Voldemort. 

_"Your parents didn't believe me when I tried to convince them that Dumbledore was the real danger..."_ Harry's distant cousin had said. _"Dumbledore...the real danger..."_

"Was Dumbledore one of the people telling my dad not to take the barony title?" Harry asked carefully. 

She nodded silently. 

"I suppose I should thank him, then... but who knows what might've happened if he hadn't listened." Harry's voice took on a longing tone. "Anyway, your time is valuable, Professor. I don't want to take too much of it."

Her smile disappeared as she handed him a book. "These are Hogwarts' by-laws. Lords who attend Hogwarts as students have certain rights and privileges not afforded to other students. One of those is a private apartment...you already knew about that. You are also allowed to bring one house elf from your personal staff to live with you on premises and one elf from Hogwarts staff will liaise with them to be sure that you have everything you need for both school and any ministry business you're dealing with. The school elf will be Dobby."

"I see." Harry nodded thoughtfully, taking the last bite of his breakfast as he suppressed his amusement. As heir to all four founders, the castle and grounds actually belonged to him which meant that the house elves that worked there were technically his too. "May I ask about the extra bedrooms in my apartment?"

"Oh, yes. We're getting there, Potter." She nodded once and went on. "Your separate owlry and the floo-call only fireplace is there for your convenience to allow for expedience of ministry business."

Harry nodded to acknowledge this information but he was eager for the next tidbit. 

"Since you haven't any siblings, you can invite your closest school aged relatives to live with you in the suite if you wish. If there are four or more occupants, the school will assign a second elf." When Harry grinned, she made sure to point out that only blood relatives or future spouses were allowed to live there - not just good friends.

"I understand." Harry nodded earnestly. "I have six cousins currently attending Hogwarts. I'll ask them when we meet for tea this afternoon and let you know."

"The guest room is reserved for an advisor or bodyguard." Mcgonagall told him before asking if he had any questions. 

"Do you know the floo address for my suite, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Hogwarts floo number ten." She answered with a frown. "Since you're related to all four of the founders, you'll be given your own password to access all of the common rooms. Don't abuse these privileges, Potter."

Harry met her gaze with a respectful nod. "If there's nothing else...?"

"Actually, Potter..." She held up one finger to keep his attention. "The snake on your door ...it wasn't there when I last looked."

"Is there a question there?" Harry asked innocently. 

"Do you know where it came from?" She asked. 

"I do." Harry informed her letting his newly improved skills of observation take in her expression and body language. 

"Do you know what it does?" She asked and was answered by a silent nod from Harry. "I would be remiss in my duties as deputy head of the school if I didn't ask...will it interfere with Hogwarts' wards?"

"It isn't harmful...if that's what you're asking, Professor." Harry said as he stood to leave. 

She looked worried but she let him go without another word. 

Harry walked along the halls on his way toward the apartment and slipped into an alcove with a window. The sun was out and he could see people in the courtyard below enjoying themselves. 

"Voyeurism, Potter?" Malfoy stood behind him. 

"Missing the innocence of the past few years, actually." Harry chuckled. "What are you up to today?"

"I was bored after finishing my summer assignments." The blond said. "So I went for a stroll with Blaise and we saw you duck in here. I wondered if you'd put any thought into the hat's prophecy so I followed you."

"I have some ideas." Harry grinned, seeing the other boy behind the Malfoy heir.

Draco looked startled. "Really?"

"The puzzle pieces are a mystery but the rest is...well let's just say I've been having some interesting dreams lately." Harry found it rather easy to talk to the blond and reminded himself to watch what he said to certain people. "If you'll excuse me, my cousins are due to join me for tea."

Draco nodded thoughtfully as he strolled away. 

Harry walked to the doors of the great hall and leaned casually against the wall as he waited for his cousins to arrive. 

"You know, an elf could've met us." Zacharias said as he sauntered up. 

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. "I like to walk the halls, Zacharias. It clears my mind."

The other boy made a face. "Call me Zack... cousin."

"Well, Zack, I hope you've thought about our conversation at the Weasley house." Harry looked at him without expression. 

"I did." Zack said quietly. 

"And?" Harry allowed one eyebrow to rise.

"I feel the way I feel, Lord Potter." Zack turned so as to lean next to Harry. "I believe different alliances would benefit you more than the one you've formed with the Weasleys ...that being said, I will not attempt to interfere in your familial relationships from now on."

"And you'll try to get along with them?" Harry asked.

"Of course he will, Harry!" Luna giggled as she approached the pair.

Harry frowned at her bare feet. "Luna, why aren't you wearing shoes?"

"I can't find them." She giggled. "The nargles like to play tricks on me sometimes."

"I see..." Harry murmured, noticing that she was also only wearing one earring.

Zack drew his attention and shook his head while hiding his smirk.

"Answer my question, please." Harry commanded softly. 

"What question is that?" Zack laughed as Luna wandered over to look more closely at a statue which seemed to be holding her other earring.

Harry gritted his teeth as he watched her put it on. "Will you try to get along with the Weasleys?"

Zack turned quiet. "Yes."

"Hmmm." Harry eyed him suspiciously. 

"Hey, Harry." George grinned as he and Fred walked up.

"Hey, Gred." Harry said to them while keeping his eyes on Zack. "I think you're a little too amused by Luna's suffering. Her 'nargle pranks' are more than likely just bullies picking on her because she's different." He waited for Zack to say he was wrong but the words didn't come. "Well, I won't stand for it."

The blond began to look worried. "What are you going to do?"

"First, I'm going to take away the opportunity for them to do it again." Harry allowed his cousin to see his displeasure. "Then I'll find out who it was and make my feelings known."

"Harry!" Ginny came running up with Ron right behind her.

"Perfect timing. I was about to send Dobby to find you." Harry greeted them warmly even though Ron remained quiet. "Now that we're all here, I'll show you the apartment. Follow me."

Ginny caught Luna's attention and became the tail end of the group as they murmured to each other. 

They came up to the door and waited for Harry to say something but he didn't. 

Luna smiled and pointed out the prints on the door. She also noticed Sigmund. 

"Zack, you haven't yet gotten to meet Sigmund." Harry smirked. "He's a guardian for the Potter bloodline."

He stepped up next to Harry and looked closely at it.

_**"Sigmund, my cousins are visiting."**_ Harry hissed watching to see Zack's reaction. _ **"At some point they will leave for a little while, but when they return they will touch your head. Please let them in. We will discuss a password later."**_

The Hufflepuff jumped in surprise at the sound of the parseltongue language and his eyes widened as the snake lifted his head and nodded to them.

"I don't fear the snake language, Zack." Harry told him quietly. "I'll tell you about him later."

The others followed him into the apartment and looked for seats. When Harry realized that he and two others had no place to sit, he smiled. "Dobby, please find another sofa?"

Dobby appeared and snapped his fingers bringing with him an ugly sofa. 

Harry made a face. "Before we begin, I'd like to redecorate a bit. Dobby would you please transfigure the sofas and armchairs to be similar upholstery? Something neutral."

"Dobby can try, Master Harry, but others are better at it."

Harry sighed. "Ziva?"

The Weasleys looked at him in shock when she appeared. 

"Ziva, I've just been informed that as a lord, I'm allowed a house elf from my personal staff to live here with me." Harry explained to the group. "I'd like it to be you."

Ziva stared at him becoming more teary eyed as the seconds ticked by. "Oh, Master Harry! Ziva is so happy to hear this! Ziva promises to be such a big help here!"

"I know you will be." Harry allowed his affection for her to show in his eyes. "Now, before you tell the others, I'd like you to do something for me. Dobby has found this sofa and it doesn't go with the others. Could you transfigure them?"

"Of course, Master Harry! Please to be standing up a moment, young ones!" Ziva positively beamed as she looked closely at each piece once the others were out of her way. Dobby hurried to whisper in her ear but she just giggled. "Of course, silly!"

She snapped her fingers and suddenly he had two matching sofas in a soft champagne color. "You put in place, Dobby. Ziva will work on armchairs."

Harry directed him to place one sofa against the far wall and the other facing the fireplace. 

The armchairs became cushy brown leather and Harry was happy. "Dobby, please bring a tea cart and some sandwiches or biscuits."

Ron muttered to himself. "Or both."

"Dobby, bring both please." Harry corrected himself with a chuckle and a shake of the head. "Now, just before meeting you, I was speaking with Mcgonagall." He placed the book of by-laws on the low table for them all to see. Luna was the first to scoop it up but she only skimmed through it. "The basics of it amounts to the fact that my privileges can be minimally passed on to you as my relatives."

"How?" Zack asked, without hesitation. 

"I get one of my own elves as well as a school elf." Harry eyed him as Dobby reappeared with the tea. "There's room here for all of you to live with me if you'd like, and if at least three of you do move in, we get a second school elf. There's a private owlry and the fireplace can send and receive floo-calls."

"Do we get our own rooms?" Ginny piped up as she accepted her cup. 

"No, it's dorm style." Harry told her with a knowing look. "One for girls and one for boys. Blood relation to me is the only requirement." 

"We're pretty close to..." George began. 

"All of our year mates, Harry, and..." Fred took over and shared a look with his twin. 

George frowned at Harry. "We can't conspire with Lee about the shop very well..." 

"If we're not living in the same room." Fred finished. 

"Alright. Let me know if you change your minds." Harry grinned and turned to Ron and Ginny. "How about it guys?"

"Well..." Ron hedged. 

"I'll be taking you up on it, Harry." Ginny broke in with an exasperated sigh. "I'd love to have more space and be able to floo-call mum and dad on their birthdays and Christmas ...if we're not home."

Harry noticed that she didn't mention the more pressing reason for her acceptance - her nightmares had been easier to handle with Sigmund watching over her during the summer. 

Harry remained silent as his best friend struggled to find words to explain why he didn't intend to move in. 

Luna cleared her throat and told them all that the nargles seemed to disappear by the door to the suite. "And I've yet to see a wrackspurt get past Sigmund so I'll be much more comfortable here than Ravenclaw tower."

Harry nodded, happy that he didn't have to convince her.

"I don't know Harry." Ron grimaced. "I wouldn't get to see Hermione or Seamus and Dean, not to mention Neville."

"We can have visitors here, Ron." Harry told him quietly. 

"Well...I guess that's true, but Hermione's not very happy with you so she'd probably..." Ron said trailing off. 

Harry took a deep breath and suppressed his disappointment. "That's fine. I still have access to the Gryffindor common room... I can visit you. Oh actually, I have access to all the common rooms."

Zack reacted visibly as well as verbally. "I only have a single good friend among my year mates, Lord Potter. As none of the Weasley brothers are taking the offer, I'll have the room to myself."

"You can use my name, Zack." Harry said graciously but his eyes hardened as he continued. "And if they change their minds, you will make room for them."

"Of course." Zack said patronizingly. "Luna, shall we take a look at our new rooms?"

"The hallway is just past the vase. There's a bathroom, and the next two doors are the dorm style rooms." Harry directed them wondering why Zack was allowing him time alone with the others. "After them comes the guest room on the opposite side of the hall, then the owlry and my room."

Once they were out of sight, he waited for the sound of the door opening. "People are bullying Luna."

"Already?" Fred asked.

George piped up. "It's only the second day we've been here."

"She's missing several items already. She says nargles pranked her." Harry glared when they smirked. "I say bullies and thieves stole her things."

Ron looked gobsmacked. "I wouldn't go that far, mate."

"Someone took her shoes today, Ron, and I don't know if it was the same person but someone hid one of her earrings, too. I'm not going to allow it." Harry looked at Ginny. "The both of you should join me as soon as possible. Did you sleep alright, last night?"

Ginny nodded and her eyes widened as her protective side came out. "I'll be ready by tonight."

"I'll ask Roody to help find her things." Harry told them. "Ideas for punishing the bullies?"

"We'll sleep on it, mate." George had a determined look on his face while Fred only nodded in agreement. 

"Roody?" Harry called and Luna and Zack reentered the room just as he appeared. "Please bring Luna's things here from her dormitory..." Harry motioned the elf to come closer so he could quietly add. "If any of her belongings are in strange places or someone else's possession, take them back and make a note of who had it."

"I'll go get my things...Harry." Zack told him quietly. 

The young Lord nodded. "Sigmund will let you back in if you touch his head."

Zack accepted this and hurried away. Ginny followed suit and the others just enjoyed what was left of the tea as Harry wrote a note to his head of house. He informed her of which cousins were moving in and requested Roody as the secondary school elf citing Luna's familiarity with him.

/*/*/*/*/*

Harry sat doodling at the desk when he heard Zack return. He waited to see if his cousin would try to talk to him but he didn't, passing by only to be snagged by Ginny for help with a bit of charms homework. Harry grinned as he turned the sconce above the desk triggering the secret passage he'd found between the sitting room and the guest room. From there he snuck into the boys dorm room and sat silently on one of the beds in the darkness. 

Several minutes had ticked by when suddenly the door opened. Zacharias walked in and placed his trunk beside the door. Then he dropped his messenger bag on the nearest bed.

Harry waited another thirty seconds before he reached out a hand toward the door and a rush of air slammed it closed. 

Zacharias whirled to look at it and then whirled back when Harry spoke.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" He lit a candle on the dresser with a glance. "The way you laughed when your own cousin stood barefoot in the corridor outside the great hall! You're a disgrace to the house of Hufflepuff."

"H-Harry. I..." Zacharias stammered. 

"I have personal experience with a bullying cousin, Zack. I'm still in the process of forgiving him." Harry's voice hardened as he stood. "You will return the purple woodpecker quill in the morning and apologize for borrowing it without permission."

"Or...?" Zacharias bluffed. 

"Or you'll not be welcome in this apartment... nor any gathering that includes Luna or myself." Harry promised with a steady gaze. 

Zack stared at him, probably wondering if Harry had the power to back up his threat. 

"Hmmm..." Harry mused with a thoughtful look. "How do you think Malfoy would take the news that his only cousin was bullied by a member of her own family?"

"You...you wouldn't tell him." Zack's eyes widened and he shook. "Would you? You don't even like him!"

"I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't know him enough to like or dislike him. He's done some bad things in the past few years... but so have I. " Harry admitted with a smirk. "One thing I know we agree on is Luna."

"Alright." Zack said softly. "I'll do it. I'll give it back."

"And you'll apologize." Harry's tone brooked no argument. 

Zack nodded. 

"And it won't happen again...will it?" Harry glared until Zack shook his head. "This is a list of things with her magical signature that an elf found in other people's possession. Do you know who stole them, Zack?"

"A couple of them..." The boy muttered. "I saw one of her books get nicked by a Ravenclaw student this morning at breakfast."

"Which one..." Harry asked through his teeth. The bedclothes moved with a barely perceptible breeze. "...and I don't mean the book."

"Corner. Michael Corner. I know him, but not well." To his credit, Zack looked ashamed. "Her Bubble Bow Booster kit was in the pocket of her cloak when she loaned it to a firstie."

"Luna remembered lending the cloak but forgot the kit was in the pocket. The elf who gathered her things was approached while doing so." Harry nodded sadly. "She's a muggle-born and her parents hadn't gotten her a cloak. Luna lent the little one hers and was going to ask her father to send an old one to give permanently."

Zack sighed, guiltily.

"I've ordered her a new cloak. She's sweet and kind-hearted...if a little kooky." Harry growled and, as he paced, the earth rumbled beneath them. "She doesn't deserve to be treated the way people have been treating her."

"Her socks..." Zack cringed. "I like to take a walk before breakfast while the weather allows, and I happened to see her wading in the lakeside. A friend had accompanied me, bringing along his friend from Ravenclaw house. They thought it would be funny..."

"Tell me." Harry commanded softly, candle flaring. 

"Ernie summoned the shoes. The socks were inside them." Zack confessed. "Roger Davies - the Ravenclaw - he took her socks and they decided to hide them around the castle."

"And you didn't stop them. Where was your family loyalty? Your kindness? What kind of Hufflepuff are you?" Harry gritted his teeth trying to calm his frustration. "Did you know she only brought one pair of shoes to school? They're the best she owns. What happens when it snows? Would you find it funny to visit her in hospital when she's got pneumonia or hypothermia?"

Zack shook his head in shame. "No. Of course not."

"Did you tell Ernie about my intentions?" The young lord asked. 

"No." Zack murmured. 

"Good. I expect you to learn from your mistakes... and from your lack of punishment for this..." Harry informed him. "Do yourself a favor, Zack. Be better in the future. The others face a small punishment for bullying her. That's nothing compared to what you face if you do it again."

Zack remained silent as Harry walked toward the door. 

"Your apology and return of the quill cleans the slate, giving you a chance to make a new first impression." Harry said quietly. "Please, try to remember the house and family name you represent...and their values." His gaze held steady even as the door closed between them. 

/*/*/*/*/*

The next morning Harry woke to the sounds of chaos. He didn't bother to change out of his pajamas before hurrying out to find Luna curled up on an armchair watching Ginny yell at Zack. 

"What's going on here?" Harry shouted over them.

"Ginny is attempting to defend my honor, Harry." Luna giggled. 

"Ginny, we talked about this yesterday. Did he apologize?" Harry asked gently. 

The redhead nodded grudgingly. 

"Did he give the item back?" He looked at Luna who was holding up her purple quill.

Ginny nodded again. 

"Then, it's over unless it happens again...at which point, you have free reign." Harry told her matter of factly. When Zack's eyes widened, Harry smirked. "Just part of what you face unless you follow the advice I gave you last night."

Zack frowned at Harry, grabbed his bag and left in a huff.

Luna sighed sadly. "Do you really think the nargles were just people who don't like me?"

"Anything is possible, Luna." Harry shook his head. "Don't let my theories ruin yours. Don't let the world change you...help me change the world."

She smiled at him and went with Ginny to get breakfast. 

Harry sighed and went to get dressed. 

As he was leaving the apartment, Fred and George walked up. "So, we came up with something to punish Luna's bullies but Gin has another idea and we kind of like it."

Harry nodded encouragingly. "What've you got?"

"Well, my idea was to make them unknowing test subjects for experimental Wheezes but George thinks that the business might be affected by that kind of practice." Fred pouted.

"I thought we should put banned objects in their belongings and let them get caught by Filch." George grinned allowing his teeth to show.

"What's Ginny's idea?" Harry asked, not seeing anything wrong with the last one.

"Ginny said that the banned objects could backfire and get us in trouble rather than them." Fred told him. 

George nodded. "She's found a potion recipe that acts like tar but it's invisible."

"So one of us gets them with the potion and then the others get them with feathers or leaves or something." Fred continued. 

George pointed out. "Actual tar and feathers were used in the old days to punish thieves and that's what Corner, Davies, and Macmillan did to Luna."

"I'm sorry...?" Draco broke into their conversation. "Who did what to Luna?"

Harry looked at the angry blond. "People are bullying her. A pair of Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff."

Draco growled. "Who?"

Harry found Malfoy's anger intriguing. "Ernie Macmillan, Roger Davies, and Michael Corner."

"Let me handle Davies." Draco smirked. "I'm curious, what did he do to her?"

"He and Macmillan stole her socks and shoes while she was wading in the lake and then hid them in the castle." Harry told him. "I didn't witness it."

"Who did?" Draco asked. 

"Another student." Harry said, keeping his cards close to his chest.

"And the witness did nothing to stop them? I suppose that's not a crime in itself." Draco gritted his teeth. 

"The witness has already been spoken to. He had a minor role in this but he was convinced of his folly." Harry told Draco. "He returned the item he'd taken and apologized."

"Smith, then." Draco smirked and licked his lips.

"Good show." Harry smiled at him but held up a hand to forestall Draco's response. "He's on probation with me. I've warned him that the next time it happens he'll be punished along with any others so I want what we do to Corner, Davies and Macmillan to be enough to make him scared."

"I've got something on Davies. I'll blackmail him." Draco smirked and looked like Christmas had come early.

"Macmillan and Davies endangered her health." Fred pointed out. "Corner only took a book. Maybe we could go easy on him." 

Harry grinned. "The old 'punishment to fit the crime' philosophy. Alright...dungbomb in his bag...?"

They all grinned in agreement. 

"Go on, Forge." Harry said. "I have questions for Malfoy."

Draco's eyebrow lifted as they left.

"What do you know in regards to Davies, Malfoy?" Harry asked as he began making his way toward the great hall. "How do you know it?"

"I dated him for a few months last term." The blond admitted, falling into step. "As for what it is...you'll only find out if he doesn't cooperate."

Harry was suddenly breathless and he stopped. "You're...?"

"Gay? Yes. What of it?" Draco asked with a glare, beginning to get his back up.

"Nothing...Me too..." Harry grinned as he started forward again. "...but, last year... Didn't you go to the Yule ball with Parkinson?"

"She's a good friend. Blaise had a date but the two of us waited too long to find dates so we went as friends." Draco explained, having calmed down upon hearing Harry's words. "I think you went with one of the Patil twins, wasn't it?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. It was a terrible date. It made me rethink my preferences entirely."

"And you just decided you're gay?" Draco asked. 

"It's my sexuality, not a decision. What I decided was that my perspective was skewed." Harry confessed. 

"How so?" Draco questioned. 

"I had a tiny crush on a girl but when I listed what I liked about her, the attributes could be applied to both sexes." Harry shrugged. "So I considered it further and decided that the person matters not the body...but then I looked at a magazine that showed a supposedly attractive womanly body and realized that breasts aren't something I'd enjoy touching. I read more about the female body and didn't feel very interested at all. The signs are all there pointing to me being gay."

Draco bit his lip and nodded. "Good thing there's options for gay wizards in the magical world."

Harry nodded thoughtfully and reached to open the door. "Going to breakfast?"

"I've eaten." Draco shook his head. "Good day, Lord Potter."

"Good day." Harry said softly as the blond spun elegantly on his heel and walked off.

He sat down beside Ron and Ginny with a smile and stood up in silent shock as a dungbomb went off under the Ravenclaw table and Michael Corner raced out of the room holding his bag. "That was fast." He commented under his breath.

"We thought it best not to let too much time go by or they might not realize why it was happening." Ginny smirked. "What kept you?"

"A pleasant conversation." Harry grinned. 

"Well, the potion only needs a couple minor ingredients and Fred can brew it tonight." Ginny whispered. "When can you get into the Hufflepuff common room?"

"As soon as I have the password." He glanced up at the head table where Mcgonagall had just folded a small piece of parchment and stood up. "Looks like it'll be soon."

"Lord Potter, this is for your eyes only." She said quietly. "Please memorize it as the parchment will not remain intact for long." 

"Understood, Professor." Harry said politely.

"The headmaster or I must be informed when you receive the wizengamut schedule in order to arrange an escort." Mcgonagall told him.

"I've already made arrangements to floo into Arthur Weasley's office." Harry replied. "He's family and I trust him."

"I see." Mcgonagall nodded thoughtfully. "I will inform Albus."

As she walked off, Harry whispered to Ginny with a smirk. "I'll go tonight...as soon as the potion is ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays, dear readers! Thanks again for sticking around! Look for the next chapter in two to three weeks since life is kicking my butt recently. 
> 
> Lori


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Life is still doing a number on me but I'm back in the swing of writing.

**Chapter 16**

Harry stood at the window of his bedroom waiting for curfew to pass. An hour after sunset, he silently slipped the invisibility cloak over his head and double checked that he had everything. The map was in his shirt pocket and the tar-like potion was in a vial, at the ready. The antidote was in his trunk, safe and sound. His cousins were in their rooms, though they all knew the plan was in play. 

It was time to test out his password. 

He made his way through the corridors, narrowly missing an argument between Filch and Peeves as he went down a staircase. He smiled at the still life that guarded the kitchen before turning to face the portrait guarding Hufflepuff's common room.

"Gwaed a hud." Harry whispered. It meant 'blood and magic' in the welsh tongue. Since Helga Hufflepuff was the one to enchant the doors, he supposed it made sense. 

The door opened as the girl in the portrait smiled at him. "Welcome, heir."

Harry stared for a moment before entering the common room. The fire was barely there but a little concentration with a bit of anger from Ernie's crime against Luna encouraged it to rekindle. He walked to the stairs and tried to determine which direction led to his destination. 

Suddenly, a door opened and a boy he recognized as one of the new batch of first year students walked out, stumbling in the darkness. 

Harry watched the youngster find his way to the bathroom. When he heard the sound of vomit, Harry knew a professor would be called so he hurriedly peeked into each room until he found the one with his target asleep in one of the beds. After scanning the room, Harry walked silently over to the trunk Ernie was facing and picked up the textbook lying on top. The inside of the front cover had his name printed there so Harry poured the potion on the corner of the trunk next to the boy's shoes, allowing some to cover the toe of both visible pairs as well as the side of Ernie’s bag. 

As he stood up one of the other residents rolled over forcing Harry to hold his breath until the barely awake boy closed the curtains around his bed and went back to sleep. Harry didn’t like how close he’d come to getting caught and decided he’d best get going before it happened again. He replaced the stopper on the vial and hurried over to the door that was still slightly ajar. Slipping out into the hallway, Harry looked both ways and crept carefully back through the common room when suddenly the Fat Friar floated through the wall above him still talking.

“Yes, Mistress Sprout, the sick boy is in this bathroom here.” 

Harry backed up quickly pressing against the wall as Hufflepuff's head of house made her way to her student's side. Unexpectedly, his hand went past the tapestries to the wall itself. He waited for the ghost and the professor to leave the room before investigating. 

Feeling along the wall he came to a doorknob and turned it. He glanced back to see if anyone was around to notice the fabric move but he was alone so he pushed the long forgotten door and felt it give way. 

He ducked in, looking around at what appeared to be a cozy little study. The desk looked more like a crafting table than anything. There was a small bookcase against the wall and next to it was a door but Harry ignored that in favor of sitting on a tufted armchair in the corner facing the fireplace. 

Once seated, he saw that there was a lovely landscape painting of a manor house hanging on the mantle. He stood up to look closer and the house seemed to be situated along a clifftop as seen from the sea. A small plaque to the side of the painting read 'Hearthstone Manor, Margate' and Harry instinctively knew it was the property he'd inherited in Kent. 

The water in the painting crashed at the bottom of the cliffs and as it rolled away, an opening was barely visible. Before his eyes the painted rocks below the cave rose to form a wide path out toward him. 

"Dobby?" He called and when the elf popped in he pulled his eyes away from the painting. "I own this property. You are my elf. Can you go there without me?"

"Has Master Harry been there?" Dobby asked, looking closely at the painting. 

"Not yet. Does that matter?" The young lord asked. He felt terrible that he didn't know things as basic as that. 

"Oh yes, Master Harry!" Dobby nodded emphatically. "Master must make physical and verbal claim before his elves may go there by themselves ...unless they is living there as caretakers."

Harry frowned, thinking hard. "Is it because the property is unplottable?"

He received another enthusiastic nod. 

"If I remember correctly, there are two caretaker elves on this property." Harry told his little friend. "I don't know their names but the file should list them. I'll write to Korlag. Good night, Dobby."

"Would Master like Dobby to bring him back to the apartment?"

Harry chuckled. "I should've known you could do that. Sure, Dobby. Thanks"

Dobby took his hand and popped them back to Harry's apartment allowing him to get some sleep before his first day of classes.

/*/*/*/*/*

Ginny knocked insistently on his door the next morning. "Ron's here!"

"What? Why?" Harry asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

"Harry?" Ron rushed past Zack into Harry's room. Stopping abruptly, he looked around and blinked. "This...this is nice. Bit like the townhouse..."

"What's going on, Ron?" Harry sighed.

"Oh, the twins got Ernie with a mix of leaves and feathers when he got in the way of 'a fight between them' in the courtyard." He told them, using air quotes. "Mcgonagall bought it and only took five points from each of them with one detention."

"And Macmillan?" Harry inquired. 

"Can't figure out why the feathers and leaves are stuck so well to his bag and shoes." Ron laughed and Ginny joined in with Luna smiling innocently. 

"Zack, perhaps you have something to say?" Harry asked when the blond made a disgusted sound. 

"Juvenile pranks are beneath you. You're an earl." Smith said loftily. 

"We decided that the punishment should fit the crime, Zack... he stole Luna's shoes and socks. We covered his things with a tar-like substance and ambushed him with feathers." Harry pointed out. "If this had taken place in December... with snow on the ground...?" He left that thought hanging. "I absolutely would not have hesitated to publicly accuse him of endangering my cousin's health. I would have personally brought him before the heads of our houses which would've resulted in a month of detentions at best ... at worst, he could've been suspended for malicious conduct against a fellow student."

Zack pursed his lips but said nothing. 

"I don't think you understand me very well, cousin." Harry sighed. "I may be an earl, but I only have this position because I lost my family at a young age. Therefore, I value them highly and desire to keep them safe and in good health."

The Hufflepuff nodded slowly. 

"I seek justice for my parents' murder and deplore the bullying of the innocent." Harry went on as he cast a tempus charm. "I also seek a good education. If you'll excuse me, I don't wish to miss breakfast."

Zack backed away with a curt nod.

"Do let Ernie know that I might be able to help him remove the feathers..." Harry smirked. "Won't you?"

"I won't see him until dinner." The other boy objected. 

"Oh. Well then...I guess he'll have to suffer until then." Harry told him with a careless shrug. 

"Why, Harry? Why do you act the way you do? You're an Earl." Zack hurried to explain himself. "You have elves that can meet people or carry out your little plots for you! You can rub elbows with the high born. Why do you feel the need to act so low?"

"You just don't get it." Harry snorted derisively, shaking his head as he approached his cousin. "I was raised in a household where I was treated like a servant. I know how that feels and I would never treat house elves the way my relatives treated me."

Zack stared. 

"I'm used to doing things for myself and I will continue to do what I can for myself." Harry said politely. "I choose who I wish to associate with carefully by asking myself if they're in it for the fame or money or if they really care about me...and I think you'll find that I don't really care about most people's opinions on my behavior. I'll do what I feel is right and ask very few people what they think."

Zack nodded nervously and hurried away.

"Now I've missed my window to enjoy breakfast." Harry growled in the direction his cousin had gone off in. "Dobby, can you get me some fruit or something?" Dobby appeared with a plate of fresh fruit from which Harry took an apple and suggested the rest be placed on the desk in the sitting room. 

After dressing for the day, Harry hurried to Mcgonagall's office where she gave him his schedule and a short lecture on the importance of breakfast. 

His classes were the usual ones. Potions, Transfigurations, and Defense Against the Dark Arts were all with Slytherin house. Astronomy and Herbology were with Hufflepuff while Charms and History of Magic were with Ravenclaw. 

Divination might be helpful this year considering his dreams and the multiple prophecies, but Harry wasn't sure so he asked about private study for ancient runes and was told that not only would it conflict with his other courses but he would be two years behind his classmates. A touch disappointed, he at least had Hagrid's class to look forward to. Care of magical creatures was fun and interesting ... if a little on the dangerous side. 

/*/*/*/*/*

Potions class didn't go quite the way he expected. Slughorn introduced himself and made sure they all had books and supplies before letting them know that they would all be assigned partners for the year.

"In an effort towards inter-house unity, I'll be assigning partners by skill level from Professor Snape's notes." The plump older man grinned widely at them. "Draco Malfoy, you’ll be at the front right." Slughorn pointed. "Hermione Granger, please take a seat at the front left table?"

Goyle was seated with Hermione while Harry was placed with Draco and as the rest of the students were assigned their seats and partners, Harry smirked and winked at his classmate. "I think you'll find that I've much improved over the summer."

Draco frowned, looking skeptical but sat quietly as they began the discussion. 

Harry asked and answered questions and was even able to pose a theory that Professor Slughorn called 'inspired'. This earned him several harsh glares from Hermione as well as his partner's interest and respect. 

Later, they walked out of the classroom together which gave Draco the opportunity to ask Harry how this transformation happened. 

"I'll tell you one day. I promise..." Harry grinned. "For now, let's just say I had to dig down deep to find my potential."

Remembering something he'd said on the train, Draco looked closer at him. "Does it have anything to do with Gringotts?"

Harry nodded sadly. "The roots of my family tree are ancient and Korlag helped me find them."

Draco hummed lightly to himself. "Perhaps they can help find other things. I need to write to my father. See you later, Lord Potter."

Harry chuckled and turned away to find Ron shaking his head and glaring. "Yes, Ron?" 

The redhead crossed his arms. "Just wondering why you didn't go off with your new best friend...?"

"Don't be ridiculous. He's not taking your place, Ron." Harry reasoned. "A person can be friends with more than one other person. Please try to remember that I have a big job to do and I need support from as many places as I can get it. Now then, have you spoken with Hermione?" 

"Yes. She told me that the only thing I needed to know about her summer was that her parents had reminded her that it was important to rely on authority figures to get information and assistance." Ron grimaced as he parroted their friend's words. 

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting...I’d thought they were more free thinking than that." He silently resolved to have Remus call on them for a short conversation and perhaps a trip to the bank.

Harry walked idly with Ron to lunch and watched with amusement as Ernie walked into the great hall with more than just leaves and feathers attached to his bag and shoes. Bits of parchment had become glued to the mess as well as a strange round bean-bag.

Harry saw Ginny at the Ravenclaw table with Luna and decided to join them for the meal before going on to his next class which happened to be herbology and his last class of the day. 

He took smug satisfaction as several more varieties of leaves became part of the mess on Ernie’s belongings but that changed when one shoe became stuck to the other. Taking pity on his classmate, Harry asked the boy if he had another class that day and learned that he had a free period. "Come to my suite ...you'll feel better with some tea."

The walk to the apartment was arduous with only one shoe and as Ernie sat down, he sighed dejectedly causing Harry to roll his eyes while asking Ziva for a tea tray.

“Awfully inconvenient...isn’t it? To have one’s shoes be rendered unusable...” Harry asked, sitting down on the sofa as she poured. 

“I suppose...” Ernie nodded slowly.

“Socks are hardly enough to walk the halls of a castle with and without either of them one could be most uncomfortable...” Harry looked at his guest. “Wouldn’t you say?”

The light clicked on in Ernie’s mind as he met Harry’s gaze in shock.

Harry nodded with great satisfaction to silently confirm Ernie’s realization. “Whether it happened to my cousin or someone else, it was a terrible thing to do.”

Ernie nodded cautiously.

“After today, I think you’ve learned your lesson...yes?” Harry looked at him with one eyebrow raised in question.

The boy seemed resigned as he nodded again.

“I want you to understand that if this had happened in the winter...with snow on the ground ... you would suffer much worse consequences.” Harry glared at him. “As it stands, I will give you the antidote on two conditions.”

Ernie sagged in relief. “What?”

“You do not tell the professors that I had any part in it...” At Ernie’s nod of acceptance, Harry went on. “You apologize and swear to never bully Luna again.”

“Ok. I promise!” 

Ernie seemed sincere so Harry decided to drop one more warning. He smirked as they heard the apartment door open. “Luna has quite a few new friends in addition to her three cousins... Did you know?”

Ernie bit his lip nervously. “Really?”

Luck seemed to be with Harry as Ginny and Luna walked past them holding hands. The boy’s eyes widened as soon as they disappeared through the doorway.

Harry’s smirk widened in response. “Do you know who her other cousins are?” 

“I know about Zack but he never said a word if I did anything...” Ernie ducked his head.

“You can expect that to change...if I have anything to say about it.” Harry grumbled allowing his emotions to give his voice a slight rumble of thunder. “I’ll give you one hint as to her third cousin. Their hair is a strong family trait.”

“Malfoy!” Ernie breathed.

“Very good.” He nodded as he pulled out a vial of the antidote. “He knows and agreed to let me handle it ...this time.”

“Understood...” Ernie hesitated to take the vial.

“We know it wasn’t just you...in case you planned to rat out your partner in crime for brownie points.” Harry grinned as the other boy sagged again and finally accepted the antidote. “I think you’ll recall Michael Corner’s recent dung bomb incident?” A nod was all the response he received so he played his ace. “And I’m under the impression that Malfoy will be having words with Davies.”

At these words, Ernie paled. “Zack...?”

“There are benefits to being related to me, Ernie, one of which is that certain parties allow me to handle such matters before stepping in.” Harry snorted. “He got a lecture and had to apologize and return what he took.”

“I suppose I should return her shoes.” Ernie admitted as he set down his cup.

“No need.” Harry waved him off. "An elf has already retrieved them."

"Then, I'll just speak with Loon...erm...Luna and go." He did so under Harry's watchful eye before running for the hills.

Suddenly, as the door closed behind the Hufflepuff, the fireplace spat and hissed.

"Harry?" 

Harry knew that voice. "Dudley!"

"Yeah! Hi!" Dudley's face was suddenly as clear as his voice. "How was your first day of classes?"

"Not bad. I think I impressed my new potions professor." Harry grinned and made himself comfortable. 

"Nice!" Harry heard his godfather's voice clearly through the connection. "Although, old Sluggy always was easily impressed."

"Hey, Padfoot! Is Moony there too?" He grinned at the fireplace. 

"I'm here, kiddo." Remus called.

"I have news but first I want to hear about the decisions with Dudley's schooling." Harry told them. 

"They've mostly assigned me to the physical defense classes but my teachers are going to let me learn a bit about all the different techniques because I showed that I have an interest and ...how did they put it?" Dudley disappeared for a moment and rustling papers could be heard as Sirius took his place. "Hang on; I wrote it down..."

"Molly was with him at the meeting." Sirius grinned at Harry. "She told us they said he had the ability to think on his feet." 

"Yeah! That was it!" Dudley echoed.

Harry smirked. "Well, he has always been fairly creative."

"Aww c'mon, Harry!" Dudley protested guiltily. 

Harry chuckled. "Alright, I'll stop. What else did they tell you about the classes you'll be taking?"

"I'll be learning about the history of magic and the current events of both worlds along with my defense training, Harry!" Dudley's voice became intensely passionate as he told his cousin all about his new school's curriculum. "There's divination as well, you know. Dreams, tarot cards, auras, and even chakras and feng shui are all big parts of our lessons here." 

"That's great, Dudley." Harry grinned, truly pleased that his cousin was becoming more and more interested and passionate about the magical world and his place in it. "I want us to talk about dreams and prophecies and all that when I'm home for the holidays."

"I can't wait!" Dudley replied with a wide grin. "I'll pay really close attention!"

"Just do your best, Dudley, and I'm sure you'll learn more than me." Harry said kindly. "My divination professor is a joke."

"That's hardly complimentary, dear boy, and quite uncalled for."

Harry whirled around as soon as he heard the headmaster's voice. Thinking fast, he smiled, choosing to believe that Dumbledore only heard the last sentence. "Professor Dumbledore! What a surprise! If I'd known you were coming, I would've put off my floo-call."

"Nonsense, dear boy." The old man winked at him. "I just wanted to see how your first day went and how you're getting along with your newfound cousins. Minerva mentioned that a few of them have moved in here with you."

"Yes..." Harry admitted with a slight nod as he held up a finger. "Padfoot, I'll reflect on our conversation tonight and write this weekend. I have a guest."

"Alright, Harry. Be safe." Sirius answered and quickly cut the connection. 

"Tea, sir?" Harry asked.

"Thank you, Harry, no." He sounded kindly but Harry heard a manipulative tone in the words so he kept his guard up. “I haven’t seen you since July and wanted to be sure you were alright ...after the trauma of last year.”

Harry smiled and flung his arms out to indicate his surroundings while avoiding the old man’s eyes. “I’m doing great!”

Dumbledore seemed to sag as he took a seat on the sofa. “No dreams or nightmares?”

“Just the usual, I suppose.” Harry snorted. “A fire-breathing dragon chasing after me...The merpeople chasing me with their tridents and grindylows trying to pull Ron and me apart... The maze...”

Dumbledore looked sympathetic. “And what about ...what happened after?”

Harry sighed. “Voldemort. My arm...”

Dumbledore nodded. “Yes.”

“Nothing new...” Harry replied honestly. “I see his young self watching Ginny die in my arms in the Chamber of Secrets but...sometimes he's there as he appears now in the same positions."

"You never told me about that one." Ginny said softly as she and Luna came in.

"It's just about dinner time, Harry." Luna came over and laid her hand on his shoulder.

“I hope you don’t mind, sir. I’m awfully hungry.” Harry gave Dumbledore a hesitant looking smile.

“Of course, my boy...” The old man sighed as he stood to leave. “Though you will let me know if that changes, won’t you?”

“I promise.” Harry nodded before turning to his cousins. “I need something from my room, girls. I’ll only be a moment.” When he returned to the sitting room with his communication mirror, the headmaster was gone. He put the mirror on the desk and spoke to the girls. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you but I found something last night in the Hufflepuff common room. Ginny, you tell the twins. I’ll talk to Ron and Zack...family meeting. Tonight.” 

The girls nodded and then they all walked to the great hall together. 

Harry passed behind Zack on his way to the Gryffindor table and tapped his shoulder with a quick word in his ear. “Meeting after dinner in the suite.” 

Zack nodded once and continued his conversation with his friends Ernie and Justin. 

As he sat beside Ron, Harry murmured to his friend. “Something to talk about. Founders family stuff. Come to the suite after dinner. I’ll make it fast so nobody’s out past curfew.”

“Fred and George?” Ron asked after swallowing his food.

“Ginny’s going to tell them.” Harry replied as he filled his plate. 

With a curt nod, Ron went back to eating as if Harry hadn’t spoken.

As he finished the last bit of his treacle tart, Harry saw Fred and George get up and leave. He and Ron left as soon as he promised to have Dobby bring a bowl of popcorn to the meeting. Luna and Ginny caught up with them in the hallway and soon enough they were back at the suite waiting for Zack, who burst into the apartment after the popcorn had been delivered. 

“Alright, what’s this all about?” Zack demanded as he dropped his bag at his feet.

“Watch your tone.” Harry frowned at him. “I called this meeting because I found something interesting in the Hufflepuff common room last night and I think we need to talk about it.” 

“Pfft.” Zack sneered and plopped down into a seat. “I’ve spent four years in and out of that common room. There’s nothing special in there.”

Harry smirked. “I suppose you think there isn't anything special about a hidden door that leads to a cozy little study with a crafting table and fireplace and a painting on the wall depicting a property I just inherited... hmm?”

“What are you talking about?” The other boy whispered. Zack’s gobsmacked expression made Luna and Ron laugh.

"I was pressed against a wall after almost getting caught and my hand accidentally went past a tapestry to the stones. I was curious so I felt along and came across a doorknob which turned so I went in. I believe what I found is Helga Hufflepuff’s personal study.” Harry paused for effect and nodded as if his theory had been confirmed. “What’s more, I believe all the common rooms will hold similar treasures.”

“I want to see this so-called study.” Zack glared at him.

“Alright.” Harry smirked. “I’ll take you there tomorrow night.”

“Saturday.” Zack grunted. “I’ve got class til dinner time all this week.”

Harry nodded. “I’d like you guys to look in Gryffindor for something like that. Luna, you too in Ravenclaw."

“Oh, Harry...” Luna grinned, shaking her head. “No need to look at all! I found the door ages ago!”

"That’s wonderful, Luna." Harry laughed. “Will you show me?”

“Of course, silly!” She giggled.

“That means there’s definitely something in Gryffindor, mate. We’ll look during our free period tomorrow.” George promised with Fred nodding behind him. Even Ron looked excited by the idea of an adventure as they got up to leave. 

Harry bid them goodnight and addressed Zack as soon as the girls disappeared into their room. "We need to have an understanding between us."

Zack looked at him, rolling his eyes apathetically. "Pshh. Whatever."

"We are distantly related by blood but I know better than to rely on that." Harry ground his teeth in frustration, thinking about his aunt and uncle. "All I ask is for common courtesy. I didn't have to include you in my life. I didn't have to open my home and wards to you. I certainly don't have to include you in the search for the founder's secrets... but I want to... for several reasons."

"And what might those be?" Zack smirked smugly. 

"A big part of it is that you were raised in the wizarding world. That means you know loads more about it than I do. Most of my other cousins have this in common with you and while they're..." Harry mused. "Quite unique... you run in different circles."

"It's true." Zack nodded thoughtfully. "Many of the high born purebloods consider the Weasleys to be blood traitors and Luna's father went against tradition to take his wife's name which puts him in a lower position than the Malfoys."

"As an Earl and a student, I'll have a lot to do." Harry said softly. "But in addition to that, I still have to find a way to defend myself from Voldemort not to mention the foolish meddling of the headmaster of this school. I'll need all the help I can get. Part of that is a little support from my contacts in each house but I don't have many."

Zack frowned. He hadn't planned to play a large role in Harry's life and this seemed to be a bit of work if Dumbledore wasn't on their side. Perhaps it would only last until their school years were over... perhaps he could make it work for both of them... it was only fair after all. "Very well. What do you need from me?"

"To start with, I need friends in all houses. I'll need advice occasionally, be it on matters of state or something school related." Harry told him. "I may need your participation if I have to perform a ritual."

"Ritual magic is quite rare and complex. Do you really think that will be necessary?" Zack was understandably surprised. While not unheard of, rituals were only used in special cases. 

Harry shrugged. "I just think you should know it's possible."

The Hufflepuff took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright. Keep me informed."

Harry nodded. "I'll keep you as informed as possible. A lot of things are 'need to know'."

"What?" Zack was mildly outraged. 

"I have secrets, Zack." Harry sighed. "I can't take the chance that someone will persuade you to tell them or read your mind or something."

"Well, that's easy. I can make an oath and as for reading minds, legilimency can be blocked by occlumency." Zack informed him arrogantly. "I can learn...we should all learn it anyway."

Harry stared. "You can block people from your mind?"

Zack nodded. 

"See?" Harry grinned suddenly, rushing over to the desk for the mirror. "You're already helping me. I'll get Remus to find us a tutor. I don't know if you remember but he's sort of my uncle."

"Yes. We spoke briefly on your birthday. I'd thought it was odd to have a former teacher attending such an event and asked him about it." Zack explained.

"I'll call him now and let you know what he says." Harry hurried down to his room, leaving Zack to stare after him.

Once safely in his room, Harry called out softly for his godfather and was rewarded with the man's face anxiously looking him over.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, frowning. "I was worried. Did he hear everything or just the last thing you said?"

"I'm fine." Harry replied in what he hoped was a comforting tone. "He didn't let on if he heard more than my last few words but there's some things I need to tell you all. Is Moony there? What about Dudley?"

"Dudley is in his room. We'll call him." Remus said, taking the mirror from Sirius. "What's up?"

"Zack told me about something interesting called occlumency and we'll need a tutor for it as soon as possible." Harry told him urgently. 

"Us?" Remus asked. 

"Me and all my cousins." Harry's eyes became haunted. "I can't tell them what I need to if I'm afraid someone will read their minds."

Remus nodded thoughtfully. "You're also, now, a member of the wizengamut. You'll be given sensitive information from time to time so no one will think anything of it."

"Great." Harry grinned. "Tell Dudley to ask his instructors about it as well. Next order of business is the situation with Hermione."

"Has she said something?" Sirius asked as he came back into view. "Dudley is asleep. I'll fill him in tomorrow."

Harry nodded. "She said some things to Ron about her summer holidays that don't really add up. There may be spells at play."

Remus hummed thoughtfully. "I'll see if the Grangers will meet with me. If not, I'll ask Korlag to invite them to the bank."

"That's what I was thinking." Harry nodded in thanks. "Oh! I almost forgot! The meeting with Mcgonagall on Saturday went well." He proceeded to tell them about the events of the weekend. 

"So a few of your cousins are living with you, Ziva is going to be with you most of the time, and you've got a plan to explore the castle for the secrets of your ancestors." Sirius grinned through the mirror. "All in all, a productive couple of days."

Harry nodded. "I should even have time for some homework before bed, if I go now. Have a good night." He set the mirror down and hurried to give Zack the news. 

Zack answered his door with a bathrobe on. “Yes?”

“Remus is on it. He’ll find a good tutor for our purposes.” Harry reported.

“Good because I’m working diligently on my end of the bargain.” Zack said, backing up to allow Harry into the room. “You need friends in all houses, as you said. Well, Cedric is a little older than us but I think he’d be a good place to start with both the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws. You’ve saved his life, so you’ve got a good conversation starter, and his girlfriend is in Ravenclaw. It's Slytherin you’ll need an ‘in’ with that I don’t have.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call us friends, but...” Harry followed his cousin in and sat on a chair. “I’ve got a bit of a truce with Malfoy...” Seeing a curious look on the other boy’s face, Harry indulged it. “We’re partners in Potions and Luna is related to us both... we felt it was best to come to an agreement.”

“I see. Interesting...His father holds a seat on the Wizengamut, you know.” Zack mentioned casually. 

Harry nodded. “Yes, I’ve met him a time or two. This summer, I happened to speak with him at the Ministry.”

“Impressive. I’d heard it takes weeks to get an appointment with him.” Zack smirked.

“Oh. I just saw him in the hallway and said hello.” Harry smirked back. “No wonder he seemed a little taken aback.”

“The cheek!” Zack gave a shocked chuckle. “Imagine - ignoring proper procedure!"

Harry started to join in but then something hit him. "We might have a problem."

Zack frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't realize there was a procedure at all. I saw him and just thought I'd say hello." Harry said carefully. "If people make appointments to see him, are they trying to do the same to see me? If they are, I haven't received any notifications of it."

"This session will be your first." Zack's eyes widened. "The members don't really know where you stand on most issues because they're not in direct contact with you. Those of them that have school aged relatives don't know or care about the opinions of children."

"Ziva?" Harry called his elf and when she arrived he didn’t hesitate to ask for the needed items. "Parchment, a quill and ink. Oh, and my seal as well, please.”

“What are you going to do?” Zack asked.

“Arthur Weasley is family. He may not be on the wizengamut, but I’ll ask him if he knows anything about the situation and go from there.” Harry replied lightly as he signed the short letter. “See you in the morning.”

On the way to his bedroom, Harry sent Hedwig off with his mail. That night’s homework looked pretty easy - just a bit of reading for each class. It shouldn’t take long and then he could let himself sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold + italics = parseltongue

**Chapter 17**

Harry was at breakfast with his Gryffindor cousins when Arthur’s reply came in the most unexpected way. The doors to the great hall opened to admit a familiar face and Fred jumped up with George close behind him. "Hey, there Perce!" 

"What's a ministry flunky..." George smirked as he draped his arm around Percy's neck. 

"Doing at Hogwarts, dearest elder brother of ours?" Fred finished, tugging lightly at his brother's robe lapels.

"First of all, while I am still technically employed by the ministry, my previous post is unavailable and I have yet to be given a specific department to which I must report. If you must know, I am here to speak with Lord Potter." The former head boy confidently shrugged out of his brother's smothering presence and brushed any possible lint from both his shoulders. "Once we've completed our urgent conversation, I may be able to spare you a moment before I leave."

Harry's jaw threatened to drop but then he realized that he’d inadvertently asked for this and turned it into a smirk as he stood. He was glad he'd finished his meal. "Hello, Percy. What can I do for you?"

"It has come to my attention..." Percy began to follow Harry and Ron toward the doorway.

"Your father told you..." Harry murmured, smirking as Ron pushed the doors open. 

"Well...yes." Percy sniffed awkwardly. "You have a need for information pertaining to..."

Harry suppressed a chuckle. "I lack a fundamental knowledge of the inner workings of the ministry and wizengamut." 

"Surely you must see that your new status requires some guidance..." Percy gritted his teeth with a terse nod. "And perhaps a bit of assistance."

Harry bit his lip as he whirled around to face his older cousin. "Why, Percy! Are you offering to be my assistant?" 

"Erm...well... yes." Percy glared at the young lord suspiciously.

"Do you know what that would entail?" Harry asked innocently as he led the way to his apartment. 

"Of course, I do." Percy seemed offended. "I was, after all, assistant to the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation during the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament last year."

"And look how that went..." Harry muttered thoughtfully. "But it's true that I know you can handle sensitive information and secrecy. I also remember well enough your penchant for organization. You were awfully good at being a prefect." He glanced at a smirking Ron but Percy's chin tilted up proudly. "I'll mostly need you to be at the ministry taking appointments or advising me on procedure when I ask."

"I can do that." Percy hurried to assert himself. 

"What would you be assisting me with specifically? Would you be a general assistant or maybe you’d just handle official ministry business?" Harry's eyebrow rose in askance. He was certain that his cousin would be reluctant to become assistant to a fifteen year old, but maybe the lordship would overrule the age of his boss. Harry watched Percy's face as he thought it over.

"As far as I know, your needs involving the ministry are the most pressing but if that changes...” Percy eyed the young lord and his youngest brother as they arrived at Sigmund's door. “I will, of course, consider helping out in other areas as well. Agreed?"

“Agreed.” Harry grinned and nodded. **_“This is my cousin Percy, Sigmund. He’s related to...”_**

**_“The other redheaded cousinsss, I’d asssume?”_** The reptilian guardian lifted his head to blink at him.

**_“Yes.”_** Harry chuckled. **_“He may come and go with a specific password.”_**

“What is it saying?” Percy whispered nervously.

“He asked for the password. I gave it and the doorknob will now turn.” Harry reached for the knob and twisted, smiling as the lock clicked. “I’ll fill you in in the sitting room.”

Ginny stared as her older brothers entered the room. “Perce? What...?”

“I’m pretty sure your dad sent him to be my assistant. What I don’t know is...” Harry turned to face the older boy while Ron closed the door behind them. “...if we can trust him.”

Percy pouted like he’d known it seemed too easy. “Mum and Dad told me all about the irregularities with your inheritances and your placement with your mother’s sister.”

“Did they tell you about my magical guardian and how that should’ve been my godfather... Sirius Black?” Harry asked as he backed toward the fireplace. “Did they tell you he was innocent and wrongfully imprisoned for twelve long years?”

“They told me everything they could.” Percy admitted quietly, glancing between Harry and his two siblings. “Including that Dumbledore is suspected to have had a hand in things.” 

"Ginny, you’re closer." Harry knew this would be easily confirmed but he wasn’t sure what to do if it was a lie. “Please call the Burrow for me.” He watched Percy as she threw the powder into the grate.

"Ginny?" Molly Weasley's voice came through before they saw her face. “What in the world?"

"Just checking on Percy's references before Harry gives him the assistant job, Mum." She said flippantly. 

"Percy is at Hogwarts?" Molly looked flabbergasted. "I thought he'd write to Harry, not go visit ...on a school day!" 

"Hey, Gin." A voice that was unfamiliar to him came through but Ginny recognized it as her eldest brother's. 

"Bill!" She squealed. 

"Perce was home to introduce his new girlfriend and we received Harry's letter as they were about to leave." He chuckled. "Dad suggested he help Harry out and they argued a bit but then Mum and Dad swore us to secrecy and told us what Harry found out at the bank and about his health issues."

She pulled her head out to check with Harry, who nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Bill. I’ll write later. Glad you're home for a while!"

"You swore a secrecy oath?" Harry asked.

Percy nodded. "Dad insisted on a powerful one. If I reveal even the most minor detail of what was told to me yesterday, it will place a tongue tying hex on me which can only be undone by the caster."

"Interesting." Harry replied while Ron took a seat beside his sister. "Alright, I've decided to trust you. Ron, I'll meet you in class. I don't know how long it'll take to get Percy up to speed. If I'm not there in time, tell her a ministry duty popped up. I'll explain in detention if I have to."

"Harry, Hedwig is waiting in the owlry. She's got a package." Luna told him as she joined Ginny on the couch. 

Harry made a motion for Percy to follow him and led the way to his owl. "Here’s the two knut tour. That was the only public room in the apartment. Bathroom... Girl’s beds... Boy’s beds... This is the guest room which is reserved for bodyguards, advisors, or assistants. Across the hall is the owlry...my room is last. We can talk there, after I retrieve whatever package this is."

Percy remained silent even as he greeted Errol on his perch but Harry could see he was processing the information as he stroked Hedwig's feathers. 

"Hello, girl. What have you got for me?" As soon as he took the package, he noticed the Gringotts symbol and opened it. "It's the files I asked Korlag for! Perfect. I'll look them over later. Let's move on."

Harry asked Ziva for a second chair and as soon as they were both seated, he looked his cousin in the eye. "I have class in fifteen minutes, so give me the bottom line. What do you need to do your job?"

"The first thing I'll need is an office space in the ministry building - nothing fancy.” Percy informed him. “I’ll be the only one to occupy it so a small one will be fine. This is the name of the individual you will need to contact about the rental agreement, which can be negotiated via floo or owl.”

“I consider that a ministry matter, you write something up giving you permission to use my name for the specific purpose of procuring office premises and I’ll sign and seal it, along with the rental agreement when you bring it to me.” Harry nodded and pulled out a piece of parchment from his desk drawer. Dipping a quill, he drew up a list of names and handed it to him. “People I’d like to speak with.”

“Lady Augusta Longbottom? Makes sense. Tiberius Ogden? Marchbanks? They’re retired; why?” Percy muttered as he read the list. “Malfoy? Lord Malfoy!?!? Lucius Malfoy?”

“You have there, a list of the wizengamut members and the order in which I’d like to speak with them.” Harry explained, taking it back. “I’d better add Amelia Bones to the list, as well as the queen’s representative who witnessed my title acceptance.”

“You want an appointment with Madam Bones?" Percy sounded appalled. "The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?”

“Yes. She’s also a member of the wizengamut. Several, if not all of these people will be instrumental in finally getting my godfather a proper trial which will result in an immediate dismissal of charges and allow him to begin really living his life.” Harry reasoned. “That is one of my foremost objectives, you see.”

Percy stared at him.

“Oh, just a little heads-up - if you do become my general assistant, you’ll be dealing with my business partners as well.” Harry smirked and held up the contract he, Remus, and Sirius had signed with the twins.

“So, you said I might make use of the guest room?" Percy’s voice sounded hoarse. "It appears that I have quite a bit of work to do.” 

Harry grinned and called Ziva to ready the room while he got ready for class.

/*/*/*/*/*

“Now that we’ve discussed the theory of the match to needle transfiguration, please come up to the desk and retrieve your box of matches." Professor Mcgonagall gestured toward a large pile of match boxes. "After that I will be assigning partners."

Harry looked up in surprise. 

"Is something wrong, Lord Potter?" She asked. 

"No, Professor. It's just that this is the second class to assign partners and it made me curious if every subject would be partnered this year." Harry replied. 

"All of the core classes will, Lord Potter." She answered with her usual aplomb. "As will several of the electives." 

Harry frowned, doing the math in his head, and glanced over at his potions partner. 

Draco met his gaze and nodded once.

Cringing inwardly, Harry braced himself for the conversation he knew would come after class. "Professor, may I request a certain person as my partner?"

"No. Your partners must be from the opposite houses." She answered tersely. 

"That's fine, Professor." Harry asserted. "I'd like to request Draco Malfoy."

"I have no objection, Professor." Malfoy said, standing up. 

"Alright." She eyed them both warily. "I'll allow it. But you'll both stay after class to explain yourselves."

The class continued with no further outbursts and Harry hung back while Ron and the rest of his classmates went about their day. 

"Well, Mr. Malfoy? Lord Potter?" Professor Mcgonagall asked, standing up to come around the desk. "Let's hear what you have to say for yourselves?"

"Professor, Lord Potter and I have much in common." Draco met her gaze. "Among those things, we have a cousin whom we both hold in high esteem. It seemed best to declare a truce."

"Which we took care of on the train." Harry said carefully. "Then, in our first potions class, Professor Slughorn made us partners and I think that... due to my unknown ministry duties..." Harry hedged. "I'd hate to..."

"Rather than having to synchronize his schedule with seven or eight people for class purposes, it might be more efficient to only make it four." Draco interrupted, placing his hands on the table as he stood up. "I'm willing to partner him in all the classes we share."

"I see. That's very thoughtful, Mr. Malfoy. If Lord Potter agrees..." She looked at Harry, who nodded. "I will let the other professors know."

"Thank you, Professor." Draco nodded respectfully before turning to the young lord. "I believe we have things to discuss. Shall we?"

"Actually, Lord Potter, I would like another word." She said. 

Harry nodded and looked at the blond. "We do need to talk. Lunch?"

Draco nodded. "Join me at the Slytherin table?"

"It might be awkward if we sat at the house tables." Harry asked. "My suite?"

Draco stared at him. "Are you asking me out?"

Harry chuckled. "You'd know if I was asking you out, Malfoy. For one, it wouldn't involve a teacher."

"Very well. See you at lunch." The blond blushed and glanced at the older woman before hurrying out of the room. 

Minerva Mcgonagall looked at her student and lifted one eyebrow. "Were you flirting, Potter?"

Harry's lips twitched and finally curved. "I suppose you could say that."

She stared at him, speechless. 

"Now that we're finally getting along, I could do much worse." Harry confessed. "But you wanted a word."

"Yes." She pursed her lips. "The head elf has reported that there's to be one extra Gryffindor for lunch and dinner today. Do you have any idea what that is about?"

"Yes, Professor. Percy Weasley showed up unexpectedly at breakfast today." Harry replied. "I've just hired him as my assistant and he's going to handle some preliminary ministry matters before the session opens."

"I see." Mcgonagall nodded. "That's fine."

"He's staying the night to advise me on a number of subjects and he'll be leaving in the morning." Harry informed her. "May I offer him breakfast?"

"Mr. Weasley is welcome to join us for any meals while on the job for you, Potter." She frowned. "It's just that I prefer to inform the elves rather than the other way around."

"So, next time, I should let you know as soon as it's decided instead of waiting to see you in person. Got it." Harry grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

She waved him off. "Have a good day, Potter."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry murmured as he turned to leave. 

"Oh, and Potter?" She waited for him to turn around. "Don't play with fire."

Harry laughed. "This from the woman who handed her students full match boxes this morning."

"You know what I'm referring to." She frowned. "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus, Potter."

Harry's inner mischief maker came to the surface. "But, Professor! That sounds like so much fun!" He said, smiling as he closed the door behind him.

"What took you so long?" Ron bombarded him as soon as he turned around. "What are you so happy about? Why did Malfoy run out the room like someone was chasing him?"

"Mcgonagall wanted to ask me a few things after we got done talking about the class partnerships." Harry told him, ticking his fingers as he answered each of the questions. "Malfoy ran because he was embarrassed about something. I'm happy because things seem to be going well."

"Why'd you request Malfoy?" Ron whined.

"Several reasons, Ron." Harry sighed. He'd known this would happen. Was he mentally prepared for Ron to argue? "First, we're trying to become friends and this will help us get to know each other. Second, he will understand the responsibilities of both my roles - student and wizengamut member - since his father is also a member."

"I guess that makes sense." Ron grumbled. 

"She said partners had to be from opposite houses, Ron. They wouldn't have put us together anyway." Harry reasoned. 

"Yeah, I suppose so." The redhead pouted.

"It was also decided that Malfoy and I will partner for all the classes we share. I hope we don't have to have this conversation multiple times, Ron." Harry frowned.

Ron huffed. "Fine. I just hope he isn't a bad influence on you."

Harry chuckled. "C'mon, on the way to Divination, I'll tell you what Percy's face looked like when I told him I was business partners with the twins."

/*/*/*/*/*

As soon as divination class finished, Harry and Ron hurried out the door. "At least the partners will change for divination. It'll get us used to working with different people and personalities. That's a skill for the real world."

"Yeah...can you believe her though? Her inner eye told her Mcgonagall would make us late to class so we're excused." Ron sighed, relieved to be out of the hazy attic. "Hey, don't you have to meet Malfoy?"

"Yes." Harry cast a tempus charm. "Dobby?"

The little elf appeared. 

"Draco Malfoy is coming to the suite for lunch." Harry told him. "Can you or Ziva make something appropriate? Something you know he likes...that I also like?"

Dobby bounced on his toes nodding enthusiastically. "He is liking Italian food, Master Harry."

"Wonderful, Italian food...hmmm..." Harry considered this as they began walking down the busy hall. "Chicken carbonara and pasta."

Dobby smiled. "Master's guest prefers marsala with potatoes. Ziva and Dobby will see to everything."

"Now to find the guest." Harry chuckled as Dobby popped off to perform his task. "I think he mentioned runes and arithmancy ...they're both in this area, right?"

"Yeah, there's Hermione." Ron said, hiding behind him. "She's already got a study schedule for OWLs. It's only the first week of school and the tests are in June!"

As Harry's eyes scanned the dispersing group of students, he noticed Malfoy's blond hair. "Malfoy!"

At his words, everyone in the corridor turned to see what was happening. 

Draco turned to face him as the crowd parted for Harry to approach. "Ah. Good. Can we have that discussion now, Pott-erm... Lord Potter?"

"Yes, my office is this way." Harry tilted his head to indicate the direction they'd travel.

When they'd left everyone's earshot, Draco whispered to the brunette. "You've a suite and an office?"

"No," said Harry. "But they don't know that and it sounded less like a tryst when I said 'office'. Didn't it?"

Draco grimaced. "I suppose so."

"I asked my elves to make Italian. I hope you don't mind." Harry mentioned casually.

"Mind?" Draco stared at him. "Italian food is my favorite. As a matter of fact, after school, I plan to tour the Mediterranean."

"That sounds quite entertaining." Harry smiled wistfully. "I've never been out of the UK."

"Well, the Italian coast is lovely. The waters of the Adriatic are a real sight." Draco's gaze softened as he spoke. "And on the other coast, Capri is spectacular!"

"It's nice to see this side of you." Harry murmured. "Before we arrive, I must confess ...I had help choosing the menu."

"Oh?" Draco's eyebrow rose.

"My suite is allowed three elves." Harry explained. "I get two Hogwarts elves and one from home. Your family's former elf is now in Hogwarts' employ."

"Dobby?" Draco sighed. "Is he around? I haven't seen him in ages."

"I'll call him for you. The door is just past this stretch of tapestries." Harry replied. 

Draco paused when he saw the door to the heir's suite. His eyes skimmed the door and it seemed like he wanted to touch the paw prints but something held him back before trying. "Is it magic? It feels magical."

"This is Sigmund." Harry said softly. "I found him attached to the door of Potter Grove's manor house. He's a guardian of my family, gifted from one house to another. You can probably guess which."

Draco gave him a small smile and then blinked, clearing his throat. "Is there a password?"

Harry nodded. "I just need to greet him."

"Well, I'm famished so, by all means..." Draco gestured toward the door.

**_"Hello, Sigmund. This is Draco Malfoy."_ **

As he said this in parseltongue, Harry kept his eyes focused on the blond who gasped softly. 

"To this day, I think of you when I speak to a snake." Harry chuckled and reached for the doorknob.

**_"There isss something about thisss one..."_** Sigmund hissed.

Harry glanced at the snake but didn't acknowledge his words. 

"You think of me?" Draco asked with wide eyes. 

"Yes." Harry said as they walked in. "You see, I'd spoken to a snake before our duel in second year...a python at a muggle zoo. My accidental magic set him free. Your little stunt only taught me that there was more to it."

Draco blushed but it was ignored as they were suddenly bombarded by Luna, 

"Hello, Draco!" She grinned at him before turning to Harry. "Harry, something strange happened a few minutes ago. A new door appeared in the sitting room."

"What?" Harry blinked and hurried further into the room. "What do you mean?"

Percy had his wand trained on the door across from the grouping of furniture and looked like he'd been at it for a while. 

"It just formed." Percy said sounding more than a little freaked out. "First it was just a dark shape on the wall. Then...over the span of a minute...the door became visible and changed to wood and then a knob appeared."

"Has anyone looked inside?" Harry asked. 

"I don't know that we should, Harry." Percy hesitated. 

"Has anyone asked the elves?" Draco asked, sounding bored.

"Malfoy?" Percy seemed surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was invited." Draco answered loftily. "I think you should ask your elves, Potter. Hello, Dobby."

"What? Why?" Harry was baffled until he noticed Dobby and Ziva standing next to the vase.

"Ziva is sensing the magic of Hoggy-warts in this change, Master Harry."

"Dobby popped into the new space, Master Harry. It is being safe for Harry Potter, sir... and guest...hello, young mister Malfoy."

Harry looked intently at each elf and then took out his wand before turning the knob to enter the room. "Its an office." He said numbly before kneeling on the floor to laugh himself silly. 

Draco followed and waited for Harry to try calming himself but then they noticed an archway. Through the arch, a table and chairs were visible. He shook his head and gestured as he pulled himself together. "I don't know why I'm surprised. Inside of a magical castle, there is a magical suite set up for the eventual heir of the four founders. It's entirely plausible that they have included the magic to detect and fulfill my needs."

"So, you think that because you randomly said you had an office, the magic interpreted it as a need and gave you one...?" Draco looked around. "That's... strangely wicked, Potter."

"Go have a seat at the table. I'll have the elves serve and only be a moment." Harry hurried to update his cousins.

When they realized it was safe, they wanted to see it but Harry promised to show them another time so he could speak with Draco alone. 

He approached the table and sat across from the blond with relief. "My life is far from normal. I hope you know what you're getting into by becoming my friend."

Draco smirked but otherwise ignored Harry's inane words as he passed him the basket of garlic bread. "So, Dobby told me Italian food was his suggestion."

"I told him you were coming and asked what you enjoyed." Harry huffed.

"Well, thank you. It was thoughtful." Draco smirked at his companion. "Now, shall we discuss transfiguration or potions or one of the many other classes we will be partnering for?"

“Actually, I'd prefer to discuss something else altogether.” Harry chuckled. 

“I’m intrigued.” Draco said, cutting into his chicken. 

“As you know, I’m related to all four of the founders.” Harry began. “Well, I’d like to get to know all four branches.”

Draco savored the marsala sauce and hummed his pleasure while motioning for his host to continue.

“I’ll be visiting all of the common rooms over the next week or so.” Harry smiled at him. “I’d like you to join me in yours with a friend or two. Anyone who might be interested in talking to me."

Draco considered this and nodded. “Pansy and Blaise might be the best to start with if I’m going to introduce you to Slytherin house.”

“Great.” Harry grinned. “Tonight, I’ll be in Ravenclaw. Luna’s taking me.”

“What about Hufflepuff?” Draco asked.

“Been there, done that.” Harry chuckled.

Draco’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “Really?”

“Unofficially.” Harry winked. “My official visit is Saturday.”

Draco put two and two together. “Macmillan’s sticky situation?”

“I was helping my cousins settle into the suite that night, Malfoy. I really don’t know what you’re referring to.” Harry replied innocently.

Draco nodded, understanding the implications. “Snape mentioned that it was possible you’d make an appearance in the Snake Pit.”

“I’m sure he’s a bit disgruntled that he couldn’t deny me access.” Harry laughed.

“What in Merlin’s name does he have against you, anyway?” Draco asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Harry felt a strange tingling in his tongue. It felt energized and yet relaxed. His heart and mind softened and he felt the urge to tell the blond all his secrets. “Interesting. I feel...”

“Mmm...” Draco smirked in a strangely expectant way.

“You’re so easy to talk to.” Harry whispered as it occurred to him that something was wrong with that. He blinked rapidly as he was suddenly swept over by a wash of air and mental energy that felt like Sigmund. His startlingly clear head registered Draco’s face watching intently as he worked out what had happened. “I don’t know how you did that, Malfoy, but it was completely unnecessary and more than a little insulting.” He glared at the blond.

“I’m sorry.” Draco seemed genuinely contrite but Harry didn't want to show any leniency just yet. “My father gave me the task of testing your mental protections. You see, our family has a secret that predates our allegiance to the Dark Lord and he intends to share it with you at your meeting.”

“What is it?” Harry snapped at him.

“Unfortunately this type of secret is akin to the fidelis charm. Only the current head of the family can share it.” Draco confessed. 

“How did you compel me?” Harry demanded, quietly seething. “I thought I was stronger than that.”

“I can't tell you that either. It's too closely related to the secret.” Draco shook his head with a frown. “You’re clearly not skilled in occlumency, but you do have some form of protection on your mind. That’s good.”

“I’m not quite ready to reveal that protection just yet ... but on a related subject, I’ll be studying occlumency this year.” Harry huffed, still glaring at the other boy.

“Does Dumbledore want you to?” Draco snorted in derision.

“I’m certain he would if he thought I knew anything of consequence.” Harry rolled his eyes. “I want to know why you attempted to force the truth from me about something so trivial. The subject isn’t something I’d be inclined to lie about since the only things Snape has against me is that my father is who he is and I wasn’t good at Potions straight away.”

“Perhaps it is too bad that he’s not teaching potions this year.” Draco smiled cautiously at him. “One of those is no longer the case.”

“How can I trust you after this?” Harry asked, disappointedly standing. “I wanted more for us than to be friendly acquaintances." 

Draco stared down at his unfinished food as Harry began to step away from his chair.

"I suppose that instead of meeting here for our class assignments, we’ll need a table at the library twice a week.” Harry said, chillingly polite. “Please finish your meal and go. I seem to have lost my appetite and developed a headache, so I’ll be skipping Charms if it’s all the same to you.” The young lord felt cold and so he transferred that to his voice. “I’m sure Professor Flitwick will have spoken to Mcgonagall so the partnership should be settled. Shall we set days for our meetings when we hear about Quidditch?” 

“Potter, I...l thought the triviality of the subject might lessen your anger over the intrusion. I truly am sorry.” Draco attempted to keep him there. “What about the common room exploration?”

Harry turned around and stared as his glass of water began to swell and overflow causing Draco to panic and stand only to slip on the ice that had formed beneath his feet.

“Potter?” Draco stared up at him. “What in the seven hells is going on?”

Harry reached out to touch the fall of ice. “Oh Malfoy, I have ancient secrets to keep too. I don’t want Dumbldore or your 'uncle' to know about this just yet.” He could see that Draco was torn so he reached out to help the blond up. “Come to the meeting with your father? I'll be asking him here.”

/*/*/*/*/*

As Draco stood he felt the ice melt beneath him so he had steady footing as Harry Potter pulled him to his feet. This was a strange power...like nothing he'd ever seen. 

He debated with his conscience which was pushing him to keep his father in the loop. He had done as his father had instructed him and it had woken a sleeping beast.

_Sleeping? Wasn't that mentioned in the hat's prophecy? Sleeping powers..._

"Alright." Draco nodded solemnly. "I'll be here if you want me. I understand that I've upset you. To make up for it, I'll keep your secrets and hope you can forgive me in due time."

Harry turned on his heel and left the room. 

No sooner had he left before Luna rushed in.

"What have you done, Draco?" She demanded. "Harry came out looking so sad."

Draco sighed and confessed that he'd used part of the family secret to test Harry's mind for protections. Her gasp had him scrambling to explain that his father had commanded it of him.

"Oh, Draco..." she sagged, defeated.

"I've apologized and I'll earn his forgiveness and trust again." Draco reasoned as they walked through the office area. "Hmmm, that's odd."

"Mmm?" Luna blinked up at him. "What is?"

"These walls." Draco frowned. "Behind the desk, there ...and this one facing it...it looks like four large rectangular objects... paintings perhaps... were there but were removed. And why is there a glass display case under each one of these yet this one is next to it and they're all different sizes? I could've sworn that they weren't even there when he and I entered the room."

Luna ran for the door and shouted for Harry who came running back in. "Draco thinks that the walls changed since you both came in here."

He watched as Harry frowned at the walls, walking over to look at the empty glass cases. 

"They have." He put a hand on the vertical one behind the desk which was long and rectangular with a shield shaped plaque made of wood. He attempted to remove it from the wall but it wouldn't budge so he pushed it toward the wall instead. It started to sink inward under the young lord's hand but he suddenly stopped and turned to face Draco. 

"I'm not certain but I suspect that this has something to do with my secret." Harry confessed hesitantly. 

"I won't say anything." Draco sighed sadly. "I ...I'll go now."

"No...l meant..." Harry faltered with a grimace and sighed. "I might end up needing help with it."

Draco's eyes widened.

"Look. There's four rectangles...four cases... four founders and houses and..." Harry seemed to be agonizing over something. "I have distant cousins from all four sides... it might be helpful to occasionally get input from the fourth branch of the..."

"Family tree...?" Luna grinned, suddenly in a much better mood. 

Harry smirked in chagrin. "Yeah...and you two are a secret link to the one distant but living relative on the Slytherin side."

"Of course we'll help!" Luna grinned and threw her arms around Harry.

The knowledge that Harry needed him was bittersweet to Draco. He didn't feel like he deserved to be forgiven yet but Harry clearly wasn't going to hold a grudge. 

The golden boy drew his attention and asked. "How are your mental protections, Malfoy?" 

Draco blushed. "They're strong. My father taught me Occlumency before allowing my admission to Hogwarts and each year I feel like they get stronger."

"I know it too, Harry!" Luna piped up. 

Harry looked at her and chuckled. "Of course you do. I'm getting a special tutor for it because of the family secrets."

"I know the secret, too, Harry." She said softly. 

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Harry sighed.

"What am I missing?" Draco asked. 

"Harry is a child of the founders' bloodlines, Draco. He was lost to the wizarding world for a long time..." Luna told him hoping he would interpret the rest but he didn't. "What is a boy child called?"

"A son?" Draco murmured with shock as the rest of the hat's prophecy came to him. He looked around at the walls. "These are the puzzle pieces...you're...?"

"The lost son..." Harry confirmed with a nod. "And the goblins restored my health which woke my sleeping powers..."

"Elemental powers..." Draco whispered the words as he replayed the events of the afternoon. "You're a..."

"An elemental wizard." Harry said carefully. 

Draco stared at him, unsure if he should be awed or scared. This powerful man wanted to be his friend so he honestly didn't want to be either. Then he realized the possibilities if Harry were bent to the different sides of the conflict. "We have to be incredibly careful about this information, Potter."

"Lord Potter, you're supposed to be in Charms class." Percy burst into the office and looked around, oblivious to the tension he'd disrupted. "Professor Flitwick sent Ron looking for you and Malfoy."

Harry ignored his assistant. "We?"

Draco nodded slowly. "We."

Luna grinned. "If we hurry, we can make it to our classes before they end."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you'll have questions but I promise that all shall be answered in time.


End file.
